Tweet
Transport Canada considering less stringent bumper rules
MICHAEL BETTENCOURT
From Thursday's Globe and Mail
E-mail
January 3, 2008 at 12:00 AM EST
Transport Canada has acknowledged that the safety benefits of its eight kilometres/hour bumper regulations — a higher speed than allowed by the United States or Europe — does not justify the cost, and will look at various changes to come down as early as this summer.
"From a cost-benefit perspective, Transport Canada has been unable to justify why the Canadian bumper standard should continue to be more stringent than those of the United States or the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe," wrote Transport Canada in a proposal to change the bumper standards, which appeared in the official Canada Gazette. From that proposal, it's clear that Transport Canada officials are hoping to make a change.
"In the absence of evidence that the benefits of the Canadian bumper standard exceed the cost to society resulting from it, maintaining the standard unchanged would not appear to constitute an appropriate solution," wrote Christian Lavoie, director of standards research and development for Transport Canada.
The logical change would be to move the standards closer to the four km/h U.S. standard mandated, wrote Lavoie, because the current system makes it more expensive for auto makers to sell cars here (costs that are passed on to Canadian buyers in the form of higher prices) and also delays or limits the import of some vehicles, usually limited volume but highly desirable models. "The end result for consumers is a potentially smaller consumer choice and an increase in car purchase prices," Lavoie wrote.
Canadian standards are meant to ensure that suspension, engine, headlight and brake components that are key to a vehicle's safe operation are not be affected by low-speed parking bumps. Yet the government says there is ample evidence that aligning the Canadian bumper test speed with that of the U.S. National Highway Transportation Administration standards would not make Canadian cars less safe.
"In terms of safety, a ... report prepared by NHTSA in 1987, indicated that the change in the bumper standard from 8 km/h to 4 km/h in 1982 had not affected the protection of the safety related parts," wrote Lavoie. "Thus, the Department believes that it is time to revisit the Canadian bumper standard and determine whether it is justified to maintain or amend the standard."Evidence suggests that Canada's unique bumper rules reduce repair costs over the lifetime of the vehicle, but they also increase costs and fuel consumption, wrote Lavoie.
Transport Canada finished a consultation period on Dec. 31 on a number of proposed bumper changes focused on aligning the standards.
Given the furor over Canadian vehicle pricing compared with similar models in the United States, and the increasing number of Canadians buying south of the border, the relatively unsexy bumper issue may get a lot more attention this year.
MICHAEL BETTENCOURT
From Thursday's Globe and Mail
January 3, 2008 at 12:00 AM EST
Transport Canada has acknowledged that the safety benefits of its eight kilometres/hour bumper regulations — a higher speed than allowed by the United States or Europe — does not justify the cost, and will look at various changes to come down as early as this summer.
"From a cost-benefit perspective, Transport Canada has been unable to justify why the Canadian bumper standard should continue to be more stringent than those of the United States or the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe," wrote Transport Canada in a proposal to change the bumper standards, which appeared in the official Canada Gazette. From that proposal, it's clear that Transport Canada officials are hoping to make a change.
"In the absence of evidence that the benefits of the Canadian bumper standard exceed the cost to society resulting from it, maintaining the standard unchanged would not appear to constitute an appropriate solution," wrote Christian Lavoie, director of standards research and development for Transport Canada.
The logical change would be to move the standards closer to the four km/h U.S. standard mandated, wrote Lavoie, because the current system makes it more expensive for auto makers to sell cars here (costs that are passed on to Canadian buyers in the form of higher prices) and also delays or limits the import of some vehicles, usually limited volume but highly desirable models. "The end result for consumers is a potentially smaller consumer choice and an increase in car purchase prices," Lavoie wrote.
Canadian standards are meant to ensure that suspension, engine, headlight and brake components that are key to a vehicle's safe operation are not be affected by low-speed parking bumps. Yet the government says there is ample evidence that aligning the Canadian bumper test speed with that of the U.S. National Highway Transportation Administration standards would not make Canadian cars less safe.
"In terms of safety, a ... report prepared by NHTSA in 1987, indicated that the change in the bumper standard from 8 km/h to 4 km/h in 1982 had not affected the protection of the safety related parts," wrote Lavoie. "Thus, the Department believes that it is time to revisit the Canadian bumper standard and determine whether it is justified to maintain or amend the standard."Evidence suggests that Canada's unique bumper rules reduce repair costs over the lifetime of the vehicle, but they also increase costs and fuel consumption, wrote Lavoie.
Transport Canada finished a consultation period on Dec. 31 on a number of proposed bumper changes focused on aligning the standards.
Given the furor over Canadian vehicle pricing compared with similar models in the United States, and the increasing number of Canadians buying south of the border, the relatively unsexy bumper issue may get a lot more attention this year.
Comment