The Informal Working Group on Emergency Door Opening (IWG-EDO) will develop amendments to UN Regulations Nos. 11 and 21 and request authorization to amend UN GTR No. 1 and UN GTR No. 14, with a draft for submission to GRSP’s 80th session. In a second step, it will develop amendments for further post-crash extrication requirements for UN Regulations Nos. 94, 95, 135 and 137 and UN GTR No. 1 and 14, with a draft for submission to GRSP’s 82nd session. The group will be chaired by Germany with the Republic of Korea as Vice-Chair and OICA providing the Secretariat.

This document presents generic images of various door handle designs, including door handles in door pockets, button type door handles, electric push buttons, electric touch type door handles, and flush buttons.

Emergency Door Opening Task Force reports transformation to Informal Working Group based on GRSP-79-18. Amendments to UN R11 require doors providing direct occupant access equipped with intuitively accessible exterior and interior latch release controls and door handles. Power-assisted systems must remain functional for 60 minutes after power loss via secondary mechanical means, backup power, or fail-safe systems. New test procedures verify door operability following emergency power loss events from interior and exterior. Amendments to UN R21 require electric front side windows to function for at least 2 minutes during vehicle submergence, with test procedures specified in new annexes.

Proposal to renumber para. 5.8.4.2. as para. 5.8.4.3., insert new para. 5.8.4.2. requiring controls of electric side windows adjacent to the front seat row to be within reach and directly accessible without multiple actions, insert new paras. 5.8.8. and 5.8.8.1. to 5.8.8.3. requiring electric side windows of the front seat row to function for at least 2 minutes during vehicle submergence, and insert new Annex XI establishing a submergence test procedure for window opening functionality.

Proposal to insert new paragraphs 2.30. to 2.36. defining latch release control, door handle, retractable door handle, unlock, unlatch, door opening, and power loss; insert new para. 5.4. establishing door operation requirements for exterior and interior doors providing direct occupant access, including at least one intuitively accessible exterior latch release control and door handle, and interior means to unlock and unlatch; insert new para. 6.4. requiring intuitive operation of latch release controls and door handles, and specifying power-assisted systems remain capable of unlatching and unlocking after 60 minutes of power loss through secondary mechanical means, active secondary power supply, or fail-safe systems; and insert new Annex 7 establishing power loss test procedures for interior and exterior door opening following emergency events, requiring successful opening within five cycles after 60-minute power disconnection.

The 5th Emergency Door Opening Task Force meeting was held 21–23 April 2026 in Seoul. The meeting minutes of the 4th EDO meeting were adopted without amendment. A report concerning the TF EDO work programme was delivered to WP.29 AC.2 and AC.3 during the 198th session of WP.29, with informal endorsement to transform the Task Force into an Informal Working Group. Discussions addressed amendments to UN Regulation No. 11 and No. 21, including test procedures for power loss, interior and exterior door opening, intuitiveness, and backup systems. Documents EDO-05-03, EDO-05-04, EDO-05-05, EDO-05-07, EDO-05-08, EDO-05-09, and EDO-05-12 were reviewed. Multiple homework items were assigned for completion before the 6th EDO meeting scheduled for 1–3 September 2026 in Paris.

The purpose of this test is to verify that door-opening systems remain fully functional following an emergency event leading to a loss of the vehicle’s power supply. After power loss, all doors providing direct occupant entry or exit must demonstrate they can be unlocked, unlatched, and opened from the interior by an occupant seated next to the door regardless of ignition status or initial latch position, and when unlocked, can be unlatched and opened from the exterior by a person standing next to the vehicle. The interior test requires disconnecting the main power supply, waiting 60 minutes, then operating interior means to unlock and unlatch the door and open it using the interior door handle within 10 minutes, repeated up to five cycles. The exterior test requires disconnecting the main power supply, waiting 60 minutes, then operating the exterior latch release control and exterior door handle within 10 minutes, repeated up to five cycles.

The operation of latch-release controls and door handles shall be considered intuitive where vehicle occupants are able to identify and operate the means of door opening or latch release immediately and without the need for prior instruction or prior experience with the specific system, by having a distinctive shape, colour or marking, not covered or hidden. This requirement is intended to ensure that occupants are able to open a door or release a latch quickly and reliably, regardless of their familiarity with the vehicle.

During vehicle submergence, at least 1 window per row of seats shall be able to be opened to allow occupant escape, and shall remain openable for at least 2 minutes from water entry. The vehicle shall be lowered into a water-filled container within a 10-degree horizontal angle in X longitudinal and lateral directions. T0 is counted from when lowering straps slacken and the vehicle floats. After 2 minutes of floating, the window must be opened to its lowest position, or automatically lowered if equipped with automatic window lowering system. Alternative sub-system tests demonstrating window opening functionality under water, in agreement with the approval authority and its designated technical service, are acceptable. The test is fulfilled if the window is open to its lowest position after the test.

Clarifications to definitions: “Child-Safety Lock System” to clarify that it prevents unlatching when engaged, regardless of unlock state; amending “Unlock” to specify that child safety lock systems remain effective; amending “Unlatch” to define it as the transition where latch and striker no longer withstand separation forces; adding definitions for “Door Opening”, “Latch release control”, “Door handle”, and “Retractable door handle”.

Proposal to renumber paragraph 5.8.4.2. as paragraph 5.8.4.3., insert new paragraph 5.8.4.2. requiring controls of electric side windows adjacent to the front seat row be within reach and directly accessible without multiple actions, and insert new paragraphs 5.8.8., 5.8.8.1., 5.8.8.1.1., 5.8.8.2., and 5.8.8.3. requiring electric side windows of the front seat row to still function when command is operated for at least 2 minutes in a replication of a vehicle entering water (demonstrated in accordance with a new annex). The amendment introduces provisions for ease of operation of electric side windows and guarantees front side windows operate after submergence. Laminated side windows and difficulty breaking window glass in panic situations make life hammers inappropriate alternatives to functioning windows. Research shows leaving the vehicle within one minute of water contact is important; the 2-minute requirement allows healthy margin. Paragraph 5.8.4.2. guarantees window controls operate in single action rather than requiring submenu selection.

Proposal to modify door latch and door retention component requirements to include door closure warning systems and additional locking provisions, add power loss provisions for latch release controls and door handles, insert definition of retractable door handle, and incorporate test procedures for sliding side doors, with transition period allowing approvals under preceding series until 1 September 2016, after which Contracting Parties shall grant approvals only in accordance with amended requirements, based on WP.29/2014/71.

Unlock refers to transition of a doorlatch system into a state in which operation of the latch-release control is no longer inhibited, allowing the latch to disengage from the striker. Unlatching refers to transition into a state in which the latch and striker are no longer capable of withstanding separation forces, thereby allowing the door to move away from the vehicle body structure. Opening refers to the action by which a door is moved from its closed position to an open position through mechanical force or energizing an actuated device. Child Safety Lock System is a locking device which, when engaged, prevents operation of the interior door handle or other release device.

Comments address proposals EDO-05-03e and EDO-05-04e. On intuitiveness, the definition was agreed upon but concerns remain regarding ambiguity under self-certification system. Specific examples may be included such as door handle with gripping space, and mark/label/symbol on latch control. On power loss test, overall test procedures were agreed upon. Clarifications needed include normal riding position in 2.2.3., and whether interior test testers proceed with opening procedure after 60 minutes for all doors with 4 times repetition per door within 60 minutes proposed.

A design is intuitive when users understand and use it correctly and efficiently without needing instructions or prior training. Key signs include matching user expectations, requiring little explanation, giving clear feedback, minimizing thinking, maintaining consistency, and building on familiar patterns. For emergency door opening, intuitive design requires interior release control to unlock doors and unlatch without separate controls. Alternative actions for power loss must be fully intuitive, integrated or in close vicinity, within reach, and properly marked. Exterior door handles need a proper force application area for at least four fingers of an adult hand.