77. In the absence of the Secretary to WP.1, the secretariat informed the World Forum that documents ECE/TRANS/WP.1/2012/8 and ECE/TRANS/WP.1/2011/4/Rev.1, dealing with the inconsistencies on lighting and light-signalling provisions as well as on the issue of ADAS in relation with the provision of the 1968 Vienna Convention on the driver’s control of the vehicle, were under consideration by WP.1. The GRE Chair expressed the concerns of GRE on the amendments by WP.1, which are still under consideration, on the proposal transmitted by WP.29 in March 2011 (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2011/47). WP.29 agreed with his suggestion requesting WP.1 to revert to the original proposal of WP.29 and to follow ITC’s advice (see para. 4 above) to accelerate deliberations on the issue of the control of the vehicle by the driver and to increase the cooperation between WP.1 and WP.29. The GRE Chair concluded that the elimination of the inconsistencies could avoid possible technical barriers to trade.

78. The Vice-Chair recommended that WP.29 representatives should coordinate with their national representatives in WP.1 to accelerate progress on this issue.

85. The Secretary of the Working Party on Road Safety (WP.1) informed the World Forum that his group continued considering WP.29 proposals to amend the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic in view of aligning its provisions with those of the vehicle regulations developed in the framework of the 1958 and 1998 Agreements. Referring to Annex V to the Convention, he added that WP.1 would consider an updated version of ECE/TRANS/WP.1/2011/4/Rev.1 at its September 2013 session. He expected that WP.1 would continue consideration of the requirement specifying that “every driver shall at all
times be able to control his vehicle” as well as the “Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS)” definition on the basis of ECE/TRANS/WP.1/2012/8 and the documents submitted by Germany (WP.29-160-31) and by Belgium, France, Italy, Sweden and the United States (WP.29-160-32). The latter contained the result of the discussion of the WP.1 informal expert group. The representative of OICA introduced a proposal (WP.29-160-16) on the subject of the driver’s control, converging in principle with WP.29-160-31. Therefore, the World Forum invited the representatives of Germany and OICA to submit a joint proposal for consideration at the September 2013 session of WP.1.

31. The Secretary to the Working Party on Road Traffic Safety (WP.1) informed GRE that WP.1, at its September 2014 session, had continued consideration of the draft proposals for amendments to the Vienna 1968 Convention regarding lighting and light-signalling (ECE/TRANS/WP.1/2011/4/Rev.3). He reported that a new consolidated revision would be prepared for the next session of WP.1 in April 2015, which would inter alia take into account further proposals by IMMA (GRE-72-15). Once finalized and approved by WP.1, the amendment proposals should be officially forwarded to the UN Secretary-General, in his capacity of depository, by one of the Contracting Parties to the 1968 Convention. The WP.1 Secretary invited GRE experts to discuss this issue at the national level, with a view to finding a volunteer country. The GRE Chair stated that he would also raise this issue at the session of the Administrative Committee for the Coordination of Work (AC.2) in November 2014.