Deal on mutual recognition of safety standards will kill European pedestrians and cyclists

The EU Framework on reciprocal, fair and balanced trade is a dangerous sellout.

When I was in Brussels last year, I was astonished to see a giant RAM truck parked in front of the Horta Museum. It looked so out of place, sticking way out into the road (there is a tree in a planter defining the edge of the parking space), and probably wouldn’t even be able to drive on many of the roads. I wondered how it could even be imported, given that it doesn’t meet European safety standards.

I wondered who would even want this, but I saw quite a few in Europe, all saying, "LOOK AT ME!” It turns out that there is an “Individual Vehicle Approval” loophole that lets individuals import “N1G” (off-road) or “specialist” category vehicles that don’t meet safety or emissions standards; 6,800 Dodge Rams and Ford F-150s were imported this way in 2022. Rams are by far the most popular.

Soon, it won’t be so difficult or expensive, and there might be Dodge dealers across Europe; on 21 August, the United States and the European Union agreed on a Framework for “an Agreement on Reciprocal, Fair, and Balanced Trade.” To placate the US and avoid massive tariffs, the Europeans gave away the store on food restrictions, energy, and military procurement, but of interest for this post:

“The United States and the European Union commit to work together to reduce or eliminate non-tariff barriers. With respect to automobiles, the United States and the European Union intend to accept and provide mutual recognition to each other’s standards.”

The problem here is that when it comes to pedestrian safety, the United States has no standards; they have ignored the issue forever. The Biden Administration started the process of developing standards and introducing emergency braking systems, but the Trump Administration is rolling them back. In April, President Trump complained about safety standards:

“It’s not only tariffs. It’s non-monetary tariffs. Its tariffs where they put things on that make it impossible for you to sell a car. It’s not a money thing. They make it so difficult, the standards and the tests. They drop the bowling ball on the top of your car from 20 feet up in the air and if there's a little dent they say no, I'm sorry, your car doesn't qualify”.

But he got this backward- the point of the test is that the hood of the car is supposed to be soft enough to dent when a pedestrian’s head hits it. As David Ward, Global NCAP, President Emeritus, notes, “President Trump’s grasp of the facts is tenuous, and he misunderstands the test. Cars fail to pass if the hood doesn’t dent, not if it does.”

The European Transport Safety Council issued a press release after the agreement was announced:

“By signing up to mutual recognition of vehicle standards with the United States, the European Union has waved the white flag on road safety. This is not a technical detail – it is a political choice that puts trade convenience ahead of saving lives… Allowing American vehicles onto the EU market on the basis of ‘mutual recognition’ of standards is a betrayal of Europe’s safety leadership, and it will cost lives. Europe now risks being flooded with oversized, under-regulated U.S. pick-up trucks and SUVs – vehicles that are heavier, more dangerous to other car drivers, pedestrians and cyclists, and completely out of step with Europe’s vision for safer, more sustainable mobility.”

Euro-style Ford Transit and North American style pickup/ Lloyd Alter

I have discussed the differences in safety standards many times, noting that European vehicles, even their trucks, are designed around tough Euro NCAP (European New Car Assessment Programme) safety standards, which ensure that there is good visibility and, when someone is hit, they are more likely to roll up on top rather than having to be picked out of the grill.

The Euro-jellybean cars and trucks may be boring, but they are a lot less deadly. It’s not just the height or the hardness; even the angle matters.

When Tesla introduced the Model S to Europe, they had to add an “active bonnet” or hood that has explosive devices that popped the hood up three inches to provide space between the hood and hard components underneath, so the hood could absorb the impact energy.

Carlton Reid notes in Forbes that advocacy group Transport & Environment (T&E) is calling for even tougher regulations that cap the top of the hood at 85 cm (33 inches). Reid writes:

T&E commissioned Loughborough University School of Design to test the visibility of children from tall cars. The research found that a driver of a Ram TRX was unable to see children aged up to nine who were standing directly in front, while a driver of a Land Rover Defender could not see children aged up to four and a half.

T&E also called out the often aggressive marketing slogans used in car advertising. RAM advertises some of its vehicles as “Built to impress, known to intimidate.”

“The intention is clear,” says T&E. “Such companies are trading on the intimidation that comes with high-fronted vehicles, ignoring their related dangers.”

Me and my dream GMC in Detroit

European standards ensure that drivers can see the road and the people in front of them. As the ETSC noted, “Europe’s mandatory requirements for life-saving technologies such as automated emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance and pedestrian protection have made our cars safer and our roads less deadly. None of these protections are guaranteed under U.S. rules.”

But thanks to the EU’s pandering to Trump, Europeans will soon be able to drive in a street-legal GMC or RAM while sipping rBST tainted milk and chewing on Ractopamine-tainted pork sandwiches, all now legal thanks to that “fair and balanced” trade agreement.

Canada is doing its own pandering to Trump as well these days, desperately trying to save its auto industry. Perhaps instead, we should turn to Europe for our safety standards and build smaller, safer cars, where the driver can see my six-year-old granddaughter.