Two systems of vehicle regulation currently predominate: the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) Regulations, based on a 1958 Agreement, and the U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. A limited number of countries (including Canada and Mexico) base many of their regulations on U.S. requirements. Much of the rest of the world has adopted the UN/ECE regulations or regulations that are based upon them. Unfortunately, many of these UN/ECE-based regulations have unique premises and interpretations, and opposed requirements when implemented by individual countries. The members of the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Commission employ a common set of directives that increasingly mirror the UN/ECE regulations.
When countries develop and apply unique regulatory requirements – purportedly to meet the same overall safety objectives – manufacturers must modify their vehicle designs and features to meet the different regulations of the various markets. These modifications increase vehicle complexity and cost, often with no additional real-world safety benefit.
Recognizing the potential benefits of harmonizing world vehicle regulations, the United States proposed an agreement to create a system to harmonize the competing national and regional regulatory systems. The end result was the "1998 Agreement Concerning the Establishing of Global Technical Regulations for Wheeled Vehicles, Equipment and Parts which can be Fitted and/or be Used on Wheeled Vehicles" ("the 1998 Agreement"). The 1998 Agreement has the backing of all the world's major automotive-producing countries. Presently, 40 nations are signatories to the Agreement, including the United States, Japan, Canada, Russia, South Korea, South Africa, Turkey, Romania, Azerbaijan, India, the EU and a number of EU member states individually. Both the 1958 and 1998 Agreements are administered by the UN/ECE Working Party 29. By signing the 1998 Agreement, countries have begun to develop harmonized Global Technical Regulations (GTRs).
Ford Motor Company has actively participated in the GTR development process. The first GTR, concerning standards for door locks and door retention components, was agreed to by the contracting parties in 2004. In 2005 and late 2006, four more GTRs were approved. These included, for example, pollution-testing procedures for certain engines fueled with natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas, and technical requirements for on-board diagnostic systems. Numerous additional GTRs are under consideration, but progress has been slow. Significant opportunities for harmonization, such as standards for lighting, have stalled because governments are unable to reconcile historical differences within their own regulations. Ford Motor Company will continue to support the meaningful harmonization of global regulations via the 1998 Agreement.
