European bumper legislation comes into force
By Will Hall - 6th September 2021
Belgium - European Union legislation targeting underrun protection came into effect on September 1, 2021. Aiming to increase safety for the occupants of smaller vehicles in the event of a rear-end collision with a larger trailer, the EU has imposed a reduction in the ground clearance of the underrun protection to no more than 450mm (previously 550mm). Additionally, the distance from the rear of the trailer to the extreme end of the underrun protection has become a maximum of 200mm (previously 270mm).
According to Dutch trailer firm, Knapen Trailers of Duerne (a Krone Group subsidiary), German research has indicated that as many as 60% of rear-end collisions between a passenger car and a semi-trailer result in fatalities. By tightening the regulations on rear underrun protection it is expected fatalities from these incidents will decrease.
