New vehicle safety standards imposed

All cars and buses entering UAE from 2013 will have to abide by the new safety regulations imposed this week by the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (Esma). The amendments make head restraints and air bags for the driver and the front passenger compulsory for all passenger cars and buses with capacity up to 22 passengers. They also require anti-lock braking system (ABS) to be installed in all new vehicles as well as safety belts. Esma has also prohibitted any motor vehicles with a riding capacity of four people or more to be equipped with extra seats in the aisles. Moreover, every vehicle will have to have an alarm to notify drivers when they exceed the speed limit, of 120km in cars and 100km on buses. Article continues below Esma said that the rules would be standardised across the whole GCC, and drivers travelling between the two states would soon need a Gulf conformity certificate. Modification warning The authority also warned of car modifications being used to increase the maximum speeds of cars or the engine capacity. It said that such actions constitute a serious risk to the safety of roads and vehicles and of car drivers and passengers. The authority noted that there are no specifications to judge these amendments that are improperly made and with no approval from the car factory. Esma also said technical regulations were for new cars, and that they are adopted as GCC technical regulations, for determining the general requirements in cars, in order to have a higher level of safety.