Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-12-15-Speech-1-131"
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"en.20031215.10.1-131"2
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"Mr President, the Commission would like to thank Mr Koch for his excellent report. This proposal to amend the Council Directive of 22 July 1974 relating to seats and head restraints of motor vehicles is one of the two proposals associated with the 1997 directive on installing safety belts. This latter directive is, moreover, the subject of a change that seeks to make the installation of safety belts obligatory in all vehicles. These provisions follow the enforcement of compulsory use of safety belts in vehicles, provided for in the directive of 8 April 2003. At the moment, only car seats must comply with the technical criteria and satisfy the resistance tests provided for in the directive of 1974. From then on all seats, and in particular those in coaches, that are in vehicles put into service in the Community from July 2004 should be tested in accordance with the directive. They must be compatible with the installation of safety belts.
The Commission proposal also includes a ban on installing side-facing seats in any vehicles designed for transport of persons, with the exception of city buses with more than 22 seats. The Commission cannot support the rapporteur’s proposal to allow, despite everything, the installation of side-facing seats in coaches. I must remind you that when the directive of 20 November 2001 was drawn up as regards safety of buses and coaches, this issue had already been the subject of a debate. The Commission was then called upon to carry out a study on the safety of passengers travelling in side-facing seats. This study showed that there were no technical solutions adapted to this layout of seats and it recommended a ban on side-facing seats in all vehicles for the transport of people. Another study, conducted by the Commission in 1996, had already showed all the risks incurred by passengers wearing a safety belt not adapted for this arrangement of seats.
The Commission cannot, therefore, accept Amendments Nos 1 and 2."@en1
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