UN Regulation No. 80
Seat Strength and Seat Anchorages for Large Passenger Vehicles

Series of Amendments, Supplements, and Corrigenda

Proposal to amend the scope and clarify the transitional provisions to avoid misinterpretations for the installation of side-facing seats in category M3 vehicles. The proposal exempts vehicles exceeding 10 tonnes from the prohibition on side-facing seat provided the seat meet conditions specified in the 03 series of amendments to the Regulation.

Under UN R80, head restraints must comply with the requirements of UN R25. This proposal updates the reference to UN R25 to specify compliance according to the 04 series of amendments (from the current reference to the 03 series of amendments). This change thus updates UN R80 to incorporate changes in impact-energy dissipation criteria made to UN R25 pursuant to changes allowing greater forward displacement of occupants under UN R16.

UN R80, paragraph 7.4.4. specifies that passengers in side-facing seats “shall be safeguarded by a vehicle part (e.g. partition, wall or seat back of a forward-facing seat) forward of the foremost side-facing seat”. Germany has determined that the current text has been misinterpreted with regard to the intended requirement for a safety device that does not break and maintains its capability to retain a passenger’s body in the event of an accident. This proposal clarifies that such any such structure “shall retain its safeguard function during testing”.

Proposal to raise requirements for the attachments and fittings of the seat (as a prelude to the eventual deletion of static test methods in favor of dynamic testing).