Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 March 2019
560. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on recent reports that a leading car manufacturer (details supplied) plans to introduce a speed limiter on all its new vehicles from 2020; his further views on such a proposal to promote speed limiters on all new vehicles made or imported into the EU at the EU Transport Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11625/19]
View answerAs the deputy will know increasing road safety is very important to me and any measure that can help this aim is to be welcomed.
Directive 2007/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council established an approval system for vehicles within the EU. The system ensures that a vehicle must be manufactured in compliance with a wide range of safety standards before it can be placed on the market. This ‘type-approval’ system is periodically updated to account for improvements in safety standards and to allow advanced safety features to become mandatory requirements. Amendments to Directive 2007/46/EC are scrutinised, evaluated and voted upon by a number of different EU-level technical committees and working groups attended by representatives from the State.
The type-approval system is transposed into Irish law by SI No. 158 of 2009 – the European Communities (Road Vehicles: Type-Approval) Regulations 2009. These regulations have been amended several times to account for the continually improving safety standards that have become obligatory for vehicles in the European fleet.
