The informal group confirmed the conclusion of the last meeting that it cannot provide GRSG with recommendations about side windows. This item will be deleted from the agenda.

The group agreed not to re-write the provisions from scratch, and to continue the revision of the provisions based on document SDWEE-02-07-Rev.3. It was considered helpful that clear conclusions are stated about each provision.

The group firstly reviewed the documents SDWEE-06-05 and SDWEE-06-07 from HUN. HUN deplored that the current text of the regulation only considers one past-accident position, i.e. vehicle standing on its wheels.

D recalled that the side windows are indeed used in some accidents where the vehicles remains on its wheels, and was keen that the text is amended such that the side windows are kept as possible emergency exits.

The secretary found too demanding the principle of one emergency exit being not usable. HUN clarified that the purpose is not to request the manufacturer of adding emergency exits.

D informed that its national regulation considers extra emergency exit windows part of the regulatory emergency exits. As a consequence D could not support the HUN proposal that windows are never considered as main emergency exits. In addition, should the side windows be deleted from the number of mandatory emergency exits, then the only difference with the current text of the regulation would be that the rescue hammers would disappear from the vehicles. The expert from D then concluded it positive to keep them among the mandatory emergency exits.

The traditional design in the UK was to have one door each side of the vehicle and each end of the vehicle. Because of the alignment of national rules on the upgraded UNECE R107, the UK subsequently diverged from this traditional design. Mr. McKenzie, while having sympathy with the principles of HUN, was puzzled of accepting the HUN proposal for “historical reasons”, because these principles would imply reversing to the previous traditional design.

The group decided to review document SDWEE-02-07-Rev.3 paragraph by paragraph and requested HUN to point out the items relevant to their principles when necessary.