Sorry Nigel ,I'm confused I asked
" I wonder how many people are killed and injured each year by "old" e marked towing mirrors."
and you replyed
"I can answer this question in part. According to government research, http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/archive/2005/fitmirvis/partialregulatoryimpactasses1593,
Directive 2003/97/ec will save 20 lives and 102 serious injurys.
May I point out this regulation change was only one of very many directives made to save lives."
Now unless I'm missing something this seems only to relate to goods vehicles
1. Title of proposal
Implementation of Mirrors Directive 2003/97/EC on the Approximation of the Laws of the Member States Relating to the Type Approval of Devices for Indirect Vision and of Vehicles Equipped with these Devices and Directive 2005/27/EC Amending Directive 2003/97/EC, for the Purposes of its Adaptation to Technical Progress.
Note: Directive 2003/97/EC also includes provisions that apply only to cars. These have been dealt with in a separate RIA.
2. Purpose and intended fffect
Objective: To improve the exterior field of vision to the side, front and rear of goods vehicles of mass over 3.5 tonnes with full implementation for new vehicles by January 2007.
Background: In 2003, the European Council and Parliament agreed a new Directive (2003/97/EC) on rear view mirrors for vehicles. The main effect of this Directive was to increase the number of mirrors required to be fitted to new goods vehicles above 7.5 tonnes in order to reduce blind spots; particularly those in close proximity to high-sided vehicles, where the driver often has an obstructed view of pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles. Since this Directive was agreed, a number of Member States have pointed out that there are some goods vehicles under 7.5 tonnes which also have a relatively high cab and share the same blind spot problems to the side as heavier vehicles. As a result, an amendment to Directive 2003/97/EC has been agreed extending the requirement to fit wide-angle and close-proximity mirrors to certain goods vehicles in the 3.5 to 7.5 tonne mass range. Only those with cabs of sufficient height to enable the mirrors to be fitted at least two metres from the ground and still be visible to the driver will be affected. This amendment has been published as Directive 2005/27/EC and it is intended to implement this new Directive at the same time as Directive 2003/97/EC, with full implementation for new vehicles by January 2007.
Rationale for government intervention: On GB roads over 3,500 people have been killed and 40,000 seriously injured annually in recent years. Although it is difficult to estimate how many casualties result directly from the limitations of current vehicle mirror systems, a recent report by ICE Ergonomics indicated that around 16 people a year are killed in the UK just as a result of the blind spot which exists beneath the windscreen of heavy goods vehicles. TRL Limited has also indicated that around 4 people a year are killed in the UK due to lack of visibility at the sides of heavy goods vehicles and, with the new amending Directive (2005/27/EC) requiring these additional mirrors for goods vehicles of mass between 3.5 and 7.5 tonnes, which over a period could save more lives, our broad estimate indicates that approximately 20.5 lives per annum could be saved.
There may be a new ruling on towing mirrors but it doesn't appear to be here.
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