How are legislative crash tests developed?

European car crash tests and pedestrian sub-system tests have been developed by the European Enhanced Vehicle-safety Committee which brings together national experts and Governmental representative from several countries. Such tests aim to reflect the types and speeds of impact of the most common types of crashes and are incorporated in legislation and consumer information programmes after extensive multi-disciplinary research.

The European Motor Vehicle Working Group is an advisory group of EC DG Enterprise and Industry which brings together representatives of the European Commission, Member States and non governmental and trade associations to discuss proposals for new Directives and standards on vehicle safety. The Committee on Adaptation to Technical Progress is a group comprising representatives of Member States which advises on specific amendments to EU legislation.

The main scientific conferences for international information exchange on vehicle safety policy and research are ESV, STAPP, IRCOBI and AAAM. More recently global co-operation in research is taking place within IHRA.