5. The expert from Germany, on behalf of the Chair of the Informal Working Group (IWG) on the UN Global Technical Regulation (UN GTR) No. 7 – Phase 2, made a presentation (GRSP-58-18) on the Group’s progress. He clarified that the IWG intends to proceed with a more empirical approach on the correlation between Post Mortem Human Subjects (PMHS) and Biomechanical Rear Impact Dummy (BioRID). The results would be submitted as a subsequent amendment proposal on injury criteria (perhaps for adoption) at the May 2016 session of GRSP. He also introduced draft UN GTR Phase 2 (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSP/2015/34 superseding ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSP/2013/24).

6. GRSP, in principle, agreed to change the height requirements of head restraints in ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSP/2015/34 to take into account ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSP/2013/17.

8. GRSP finally agreed to refer GRSP-58-26 back to the IWG, to incorporate all the comments from ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSP/2015/34, and resume discussion on this subject at its May 2016 session.

8. GRSP finally agreed to refer GRSP-58-26 back to the IWG, to incorporate all the comments from ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSP/2015/34, and resume discussion on this subject at its May 2016 session.

6. The expert from the United Kingdom, on behalf of the Chair of the Informal Working Group (IWG) on the UN Global Technical Regulation (UN GTR) No. 7 – Phase 2, clarified that the IWG was following a more empirical approach to determine biomechanical criteria and that alternative methodologies were under study. He reported that the IWG expected to finalize proposals for the December 2016 session of GRSP on UN GTR No. 7 and on Addendum 1 to Mutual Resolution No. 1 (M.R.1) to incorporate Bio Rear Impact Dummy (BioRID) specifications. He concluded that an extension of the mandate of the IWG until March 2017 was needed to complete the final proposals and that AC.3 endorsed this request at its March 2016 session.

4. The expert from the United Kingdom, on behalf of the Chair of the Informal Working Group (IWG) on the UN Global Technical Regulation (UN GTR) No. 7 – Phase 2, clarified that the IWG had suspended its activity because of a lack of results on biomechanical criteria. He added that the Chair’s intention was to resume the activity of the IWG and that he would contact the group’s members. He concluded that the Chair of the IWG would inform GRSP at its December 2017 session on the follow-up of activities of the IWG. The Chair of GRSP, on behalf of the expert of the United States of America, informed GRSP that the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) could possibly re-start correlation testing between dummy and the Post Mortem Human Subjects (PHMS). He volunteered to update GRSP about the plan of NHTSA on this subject at the December 2017 session.

4. The expert from the United Kingdom, on behalf of the Chair of the Informal Working Group (IWG) on UN Global Technical Regulation (UN GTR) No. 7 – Phase 2, informed GRSP that for the time being the IWG had not yet decided when to resume its activity. He added that further information would be provided at the May 2018 session of GRSP.

4. The expert from the United Kingdom, on behalf of the Chair of the Informal Working Group (IWG) on UN Global Technical Regulation (UN GTR) No. 7 – Phase 2, informed GRSP that the IWG had not made progress in its activities and that no new information for the future development of the UN GTR to report. The expert from the United States of America informed GRSP that the Vehicle Research Testing Center of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will resume and finalize its testing activity on the injury criteria by the end of 2018.

4. The expert from Germany introduced GRSP-65-32, to present the proposed Amendment 2 (GRSP-65-24 superseding ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSP/2019/5) to UN GTR No. 7 (Phase 2 of the UN GTR on head restraints), jointly prepared with the experts from Japan and the Netherlands. He explained that the proposal has removed several square brackets and therefore solving the main issues. He added that the draft amendment would introduce: (a) injury criteria focusing on Neck Injury Criteria (NIC) namely upper and lower neck flexion and extension, (b) BioRID as an option for contracting parties to Hybrid III still and © procedure for establishing the height of the head restraint based on the head contact rather than at its absolute height. He clarified that the proposal that would need still some changes, will be complemented by a proposal of Addendum 1 to the Mutual Resolution No. 1 to insert drawings and specifications of the BioRID, to be presented at the December 2019 session of GRSP. Moreover, the experts from France and Russian Federation announced that they would not need the translation of the BioRID manual or other dummy specification and can be dealt with in English only. GRSP noted that all these specifications, when they would be submitted, shall need a disclaimer letter from the dummy manufacturer concerning copyright claims and that they might be upload on the M.R.1 website without any copyright infringements.

5. [At] the same time, the expert from Japan introduced the ninth status report of the Informal Working Group (IWG) on Head Restraints (GRSP-65-31). The expert from CLEPA withdrew ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSP/2019/8 and introduced GRSP-65-30 superseding ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSP/2019/10 amending the static options of the proposal.

6. Finally, GRSP experts were invited to provide comments to GRSP-65-24 to the expert from Japan by 13 September 2019. Moreover, GRSP requested the secretariat to distribute GRSP-65-30 and GRSP-65-31 with an official symbol and agreed to seek consent of WP.29 and AC.3 to extend the mandate of the IWG until June 2020.