41. The Chair of the informal group on child restraints systems (CRS) introduced ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSP/2010/38 and the amendments agreed upon in the last meeting of his group convened on 8 December 2010, prior to the GRSP session. He also announced that the group needed a further meeting in February to complete the proposal. He added that one of the most relevant pending issues was support-leg contact volume requirement (Z axis direction) and that would likely be solved in that meeting. He clarified that the intention of the proposal was to provide Integral Universal ISOFIX Child Restraint Systems (“i-Size”) to the wider range of children’s size. GRSP noted a presentation made by the expert from CLEPA regarding the side impact test proposed by the group (GRSP-48-26). Moreover, GRSP noted GRSP-48-24 and GRSP-48-30, transmitted for information to GRSP by the experts from International Consumers and CLEPA to endorse the work accomplished by the informal group.

42. The expert from the EC stated that, while supporting the work achieved to date, he continued to request strengthening of the frontal impact test on CRS. In this respect, he said that the mandate of the informal group should be extended by one year to continue discussion. The expert from the United States of America informed GRSP that according to benefit analysis studies in her country, increasing the severity of the test pulse may not necessarily translate into an significant increase in benefits. This analysis is based on a study of real-world crashes. She also noted that the test pulse in the US is more stringent than the test pulse in Regulation No. 44.

43. The majority of experts in GRSP, agreed not to delay adopting the draft proposal and to a two stages approach: (i) adoption of the current draft proposal at the May 2011 session of GRSP and (ii) develop definitions, performance criteria and test methods for ISOFIX non-Integral “Universal” CRS by the May 2012 session of GRSP. In this respect, GRSP invited the expert from France to propose terms of reference, based on GRSP-48-31, to seek consent on the new programme of work of the informal group at the March 2011 session of WP.29.

44. GRSP agreed to resume discussion at its May 2011 session on a revised proposal provided by the informal group based on GRSP-48-42 (superseding ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSP/2010/38) encompassing the comments received during the session. Finally, GRSP also agreed to consider at its next session proposals for amendments to Regulations Nos. 16 and 14 to be prepared by the expert from OICA to match the provisions introduced by the draft Regulation on CRS.