THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 95 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,
Having regard to the Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee,
Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty,
Whereas:
(1)
Research has shown that the use of safety belts and restraint systems can contribute to a substantial reduction in the number of fatalities and the severity of injury in the event of an accident, even due to rollover. Their fitting in all categories of vehicles will certainly constitute an important step forward in bringing about an increase in road safety and a consequent saving of lives.
(2)
A substantial benefit to society can be attained if all vehicles are provided with safety belts.
(3)
In its Resolution of 18 February 1986 on common measures to reduce road accidents, as part of the Community's programme for road safety, the European Parliament stressed the need for making the wearing of safety belts compulsory for all passengers, including children, except in public service vehicles. Therefore, a distinction has to be made between public service buses and other vehicles as regards the compulsory installation of safety belts and/or restraint systems.
(4)
Pursuant to Council Directive 70/156/EEC of 6 February 1970 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the type-approval of motor vehicles and their trailers, the Community type-approval system has only been implemented for all new vehicles of category M1 since 1 January 1998. Consequently, only these vehicles have to be fitted with anchorages intended for safety belts and/or restraint systems fulfilling the provisions of Directive 76/115/EEC.
(5)
Until the Community type-approval system is extended to all categories of vehicles, the installation of anchorages intended for safety belts and/or restraint systems should be required, in the interests of road safety, in vehicles belonging to categories other than M1.
(6)
Directive 76/115/EEC already provides for all technical and administrative provisions allowing the type-approval of vehicles of categories other than M1. Therefore, the Member States do not need to introduce further provisions.
(7)
Since the entry into force of Commission Directive 96/38/EC of 17 June 1996 adapting to technical progress Council Directive 76/115/EEC relating to anchorages for motor vehicle safety belts, several Member States have already made compulsory the provisions contained therein in respect of certain categories of vehicles other than M1. Manufacturers and their suppliers have thus developed appropriate technology.
(8)
Directive 76/115/EEC should be amended accordingly.
(9)
Since the objective of this Directive, namely the improvement of road safety by the introduction of the compulsory fitting of safety belts in certain categories of vehicles, cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States and can therefore, by reason of the scale of the action, be better achieved at Community level, the Community may adopt measures, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty. In accordance with the principle of proportionality, as set out in that Article, this Directive does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve that objective,
HAVE ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE: