Analysis examined 14 cases in Japan where child fatalities occurred after children were left unattended in passenger vehicles of category M1 and N1 between January 1984 and April 2025. Indirect sensing could potentially have generated an alert in 13 cases, while direct sensing could potentially have generated an alert in 5 cases. Based on these findings, retaining indirect sensing as an option for UNR is proposed.
Proposal to renumber paragraph 5.8.4.2. as paragraph 5.8.4.3., insert new paragraph 5.8.4.2. requiring controls of electric side windows adjacent to the front seat row to be within reach and directly accessible, insert new paragraphs 5.8.8. and 5.8.8.1. to 5.8.8.2. requiring electric side windows of the front seat row to function for at least 2 minutes during vehicle submergence, and insert new Annex 11 prescribing submergence test procedures including container-based test, slope-entry test, and alternative test methods to demonstrate window opening capability under water.
Working draft proposal to:
Discussions to amend GTR 1 to require doors providing direct access for occupants to be equipped with an intuitively accessible exterior latch release control or alternatively in close vicinity to the door. The document notes that “intuitive,” “discoverable,” and “in close vicinity” are subjective terms difficult to assess objectively. It suggests defining these terms through objective criteria such as untrained first-time user performance testing within a specified timeframe, standardized ISO symbols, defined proximity zones relative to the door, and requirements balancing accessibility against inadvertent operation risks.
Proposals developed during the EDO session to:
Proposal to establish a submergence test procedure requiring that at least one window per row of seats be capable of being fully opened after a vehicle enters water for occupant escape, with the window operable up to 2 minutes after submergence as designed by the manufacturer, defining container dimensions to accommodate the vehicle without wall or floor contact during the 2-minute period except when fully submerged, permitting open-water test sites provided they comply with test conditions while prohibiting freshwater lakes, reservoirs, and saltwater bodies, requiring the master control switch position allow window operation, specifying unladen kerb mass with measuring apparatus not changing axle reference load by more than 5 per cent, lowering the vehicle into water-filled container at horizontal angle 0–10 degrees with time zero defined as when lowering straps become slack and vehicle floats freely, requiring the vehicle remain in water for 2 minutes from time zero without floor contact until fully submerged, requiring window operation by remote system after 2 minutes with vehicle immersed, and permitting alternative subsystem tests demonstrating window opening functionality under submerged conditions.
Proposal to insert new paragraphs in Section I defining the background, scope, and technical rationale for emergency door opening provisions addressing power loss scenarios, insert new paragraphs 3.25. to 3.31. in Section II defining terms including “latch release control”, “door handle”, “retractable door handle”, “unlock”, “unlatch”, and “power loss”, insert new para. 4.3. establishing requirements for exterior and interior door operation with intuitively accessible latch release controls and door handles on doors providing direct occupant access, insert new para. 5.4. specifying that latch release controls and door handles shall be intuitive, that power-assisted latch release controls shall remain capable of unlatching doors after power loss for at least 60 minutes through secondary mechanical means, active secondary power supply, or fail-safe systems, that power-assisted latch release and unlocking controls shall similarly remain functional after 60 minutes of power loss, that power-assisted door opening systems shall remain manually openable after power loss, that door handles including retractable door handles shall provide accessible gripping features to unlatched doors after power loss, and that unlocking means and latch release controls shall be unobstructed, directly visible, and not located in storage devices or obstructed by interior components, and insert new Annex 6 specifying test procedures for interior and exterior door operation after power loss, including vehicle preparation steps, 60-minute waiting periods, and opening procedures to be completed within 10 minutes with up to five cycles per door.
ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRVA/25, para. 59, based on ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRVA/2026/22