Road Safety – OICA reconfirms its commitment
The International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA) at its annual General Assembly held on 4 December 2020 and chaired by Mr. Fu of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers CAAM, agreed to continue pursuing advanced safety by working with its members locally, particularly in South East Asia, Latin America and Africa. The local efforts to make further progress in creating a more globally consistent legal framework for vehicle safety comes in addition to ongoing manufacturer-driven safety innovations. It also builds on OICA’s internationally recognized October 2019 manifesto, which was adopted to work with the United Nations’ second Decade of Action for Road Safety from 2021 to 2030.
This new, locally driven approach builds on the recognized work of OICA’s Special Envoy of Road Safety, Erik Jonnaert, who informed OICA’s General Assembly that substantial progress has been made in promoting a minimum legal framework for vehicle safety, based on existing UN technical regulations or their equivalent requirements.
“We welcome this progress and are committed to do more,” said Yves van der Straaten, OICA’s Secretary General. “Road safety is complex and addressing it requires an integrated approach addressing all parameters, particularly road user training and behavior, traffic rules and enforcement, and infrastructure.”
“Our industry’s most direct impact on safety can be in vehicle development and design,” added van der Straaten, who also urged governments to put in place the relevant legislation that automakers must meet or exceed and are based on established international standards.
OICA will continue working on road safety in the future through a network of regional road safety ambassadors across South East Asia, Latin America and Africa. We believe that this local approach will ensure that actions can be taken which better reflect and address the local road safety needs and are tailored to different markets. This builds on the work we have already been undertaking.”
OICA’s members from around the world applaud the efforts made in South East Asia by regulators together with the automotive industry where ASEAN has prioritized the implementation of several important UN technical regulations as from 2021, including requirements on braking systems and seat belts.
About OICA:
The world association OICA was founded in 1919 and gathers 37 national trade associations around the world, including all major automobile manufacturing countries in Europe, America, and Asia. OICA is the only non-governmental car and truck manufacturers’ organization accredited to the United Nations and represents the technical interests in international institutions and organizations.
The OICA activities contribute to the worldwide diffusion of technology, experience and know-how, to the benefit of all countries. OICA coordinates the global harmonization of vehicle regulations. The member countries are committed to the improvement of road safety and environmental protection, and they actively contribute to the global harmonization of technical regulations and standards. OICA also collects and publishes international statistics and coordinates the yearly calendar of Motor shows all over the world.
For further information: www.oica.net
Yves van der Straaten, Secretary General, + 33 (0)1 43 59 00 13, yvanderstraaten@oica.net