Brexit to make UK a “second-hand dealer” in car safety

Head of Global NCAP says leaving EU will turn Britain into a rule taker, not a rule maker, for car safety regulation

Crash test - Chery

One of the world’s leading car safety experts has said leaving the EU will render the UK a “second-hand dealer” in vehicle safety and emission standards.

David Ward, secretary general of the Global New Car assessment Programme (Global NCAP), has said leaving the EU will see the UK “withdrawing from a complex eco-system of vehicle regulation that has hugely improved car safety and saved tens of thousands of lives”.

Brexit offers “no advantages” to UK carmakers, say MPs

Ward - whose Global NCAP organisation promotes vehicle safety and crash-test research, and facilitates cooperation between organisations like Euro NCAP and its worldwide counterparts - wrote on his personal website that Brexit will have “profound implications for the interests of the public and our automotive industry”.

The Prime Minister has previously argued Britain’s membership of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) will allow it to continue to set vehicle safety standards post-Brexit. Ward dismisses this position as displaying “woeful ignorance” though, as EU countries block-vote during UNECE ballots on new vehicle regulations.

The UNECE supervises the World Forum for the Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations, which sets regulations for vehicle type approval. Ward points out that “54 governments are parties to an international agreement for ‘type approval’ regulations”, with 38 of them “typically” attending meetings. As 28 of these countries are members of the EU and block vote, Ward says “it is EU decision-making that underpins the adoption of UNECE regulations and not the other way around.”

While he concedes that after it leaves the EU, “the UK will be free to exercise its sovereign rights to vote as it likes on new UNECE vehicle standards”, Ward says such instances will constitute “a kind of ‘mini-decision’ to be taken alongside the ‘mega decision’ already taken by the EU.”

Ward’s comments follow warnings that EU country of origin regulations could seriously impact the UK automotive manufacturing scene post-Brexit, and echo reports that indicate the UK’s Vehicle Certification Agency will automatically lose its right to provide type approval after the country leaves the EU.

Responding to Ward’s comments, the Department for Transport told Auto Express that it is “committed to securing the best deal for Britain as we leave the European Union, and will work hard to ensure the UK motor industry and authorities continue to thrive and that Britain’s roads continue to be amongst the world’s safest.”

The DfT’s spokesperson added that they were confident the VCA “will remain one of the world’s leading type approval authorities after we leave the European Union” and that by leaving the EU Customs Union, the UK will be “able to forge new trade relationships with our partners around the world for the first time in 40 years”.

Read about the car industry’s priorities for Brexit, as laid out by the SMMT…

Recommended

UK passes major milestone with 10,000 EV rapid charge points
Rapid charger
News

UK passes major milestone with 10,000 EV rapid charge points

EV drivers have more charging choices than ever, and the roll-out rate continues to gather pace says Zapmap
7 Dec 2023
Electric car registrations slow despite overall new car sales growth
SMMT new car registration - total for November 2023
News

Electric car registrations slow despite overall new car sales growth

Pure-electric car take-up was steady in November 2023 with plug-in hybrids surging in popularity
5 Dec 2023
UK car thefts hit an all-time high with keyless car tech to blame
Thief breaking in to car
News

UK car thefts hit an all-time high with keyless car tech to blame

Car theft is at record levels in the UK according to data from LV insurance
4 Dec 2023
UK firm fitting ‘pop bang’ aftermarket exhausts fined in landmark court case
MINI Hatch exhaust
News

UK firm fitting ‘pop bang’ aftermarket exhausts fined in landmark court case

A successful court action against a workshop advertising and fitting non-standard exhaust parts is ‘a lesson for businesses’ from the DVSA
23 Nov 2023

Most Popular

New Nissan Qashqai to get radical look and all-electric power
Nissan Qashqai exclusive image - front
News

New Nissan Qashqai to get radical look and all-electric power

Major investment in Nissan’s Sunderland plant underpins the new fourth-generation Qashqai
8 Dec 2023
New Jaguar XF Sportbrake 2024 review: big estate with value boost
Jaguar XF Sportbrake - front tracking
Road tests

New Jaguar XF Sportbrake 2024 review: big estate with value boost

Jaguar's XF Sportbrake may be 8 years old but it just got a whole lot cheaper!
7 Dec 2023
New Omoda 5 to take on the Nissan Qashqai and Hyundai Tucson when it arrives in early 2024
Omoda 5 - front
News

New Omoda 5 to take on the Nissan Qashqai and Hyundai Tucson when it arrives in early 2024

The new Omoda 5 SUV will only be available with an all-electric powertrain when it hits the UK next spring, but a hybrid option is expected later
8 Dec 2023