World Forum for the Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations | Session 162 | 11-14 Mar 2014
Geneva
Agenda Item 8.2.
Consistency between the 1968 Vienna Convention and World Forum regulations

67. The secretariat of the Working Party on Road Safety (WP.1) informed WP.29 about the recent session of WP.1 (4-6 December 2013, New Delhi). She stated that some progress had been made in updating the 1968 Vienna Convention on lighting issues and in defining Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), which could resolve the issue of permanent control of the vehicle by the driver. She clarified that the legal concerns expressed in para. 20 of the WP.1 report (ECE/TRANS/WP.1/143) referred to the mandatory recognition of the UN Regulations and UN GTRs by Contracting Parties to the 1968 Vienna Convention, if any such reference was to be made in the text of the Convention. The representative of the United Kingdom reported that many presenters at the recent ITU symposium on the Future Networked Car expressed concerns that the current text of the 1968 Convention could stifle future transport development. He added that further delay in this issue could begin to reflect poorly on the UNECE. The representative of OICA highlighted the importance of finding a solution to this matter. Upon the request by the representative of Germany on how to solve the legal issues mentioned in the WP.1 report (ECE/TRANS/WP.1/143, paras. 20 and 21, available at: www.unece.org/trans/roadsafe/wp1rep.html), the secretariat of WP.1 reported that WP.1 had initiated a search for external legal advice, but that the lack of funding was delaying the legal consultation. The representative of the Russian Federation indicated that the legal instruments administered by WP.1 and WP.29 had different Contracting Parties. He hoped that the Contracting Parties to both these legal instruments could contribute to resolve this issue.

Documentation
WP.1/143 Report of the Working Party on Road Traffic Safety on its 67th session