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Jurisdiction: United Kingdom
Commencement: 26th November 2021
Amends: UK Retained: Regulation (EU) 2019/631 setting CO2 emission performance standards for new passenger cars and for new light commercial vehicles
CO2 emissions performance requirements are set by the European Commission (EC) for new passenger cars* and new light commercial vehicles* in order to help achieve the European Union (EU) greenhouse gas emissions reduction target and the objectives of the Paris agreement (a global action plan to limit global warming to below 2°C above pre-industrial levels).
*New passenger cars are Category M1 vehicles which are registered in the EU for the first time and have not previously been registered outside of the EU. Category M1 means vehicles for the carriage of passengers with no more than 9 seats, including the driver’s seat, as defined in Annex II of Directive 2007/46/EC establishing a framework for the approval of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
*New light commercial vehicles are Category N1 vehicles with a mass not exceeding 2610kg and those type approved under Regulation (EC) 715/2007 which are registered in the EU for the first time and have not previously been registered outside of the EU. Category N1 means vehicles for the carriage of goods with a maximum mass of 3.5 tonnes. as defined in Annex II of Directive 2007/46/EC establishing a framework for the approval of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
Zero emissions category N vehicles with a mass exceeding 2480kg will be counted as light commercial vehicles from 1st January 2025, if the excess mass is due to the energy storage system.
If a vehicle has been registered outside of the EU for less than 3 months before it is registered in the EU, then it is will still be considered a ‘new’ vehicle.
The Regulation does not apply to special purpose vehicles, i.e. a vehicle intended to perform a function which requires special body arrangements and/or equipment. This category includes wheel-chair accessible vehicles, caravans, and ambulances, as defined by Part A of Annex II of Directive 2007/46/EC establishing a framework for the approval of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
Manufacturers responsible for fewer than 1000 new passenger cars or light commercial vehicles registered in the EU in the previous calendar year are not required to comply with certain requirements, including the requirement to meet specific emissions targets and pay excess emissions premium.
Amendment
Changes are made to set CO2 emission performance standards for new passenger cars and new light commercial vehicles for the period 2021-2024, so that UK CO2 targets are fully established, and relevant data can be collected. The new specific emissions targets that manufacturers must meet are outlined below.
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Jurisdiction: Great Britain
Commencement: 15th November 2021
Amends:
The Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations 1999 set health and safety obligations related to driving licences, tests of competence to drive, drivers conduct for goods and passenger vehicles as well as training courses for motorcycle riders, are established. Part VI (Disabilities) covers disabilities which must be declared on a driving licence.
N.B. The Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 change the restrictions on driving licence applicants and driving licence holders with diabetes. They also amend the terms in which a person’s diabetes is a prescribed as a relevant disability.
Under the Road Traffic Act 1988, a person with a relevant disability is denied a licence unless they can meet certain prescribed conditions.
A declaration must be made if the applicant suffers from diabetes treated with medication that carries a risk of inducing hypoglycaemia* (including insulin, sulphonylureas and glinides). In this case, the condition will be classed as a relevant disability if the applicant has had 2 or more episodes of severe hypoglycaemia** during the previous year, or there is an impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia***.
However, applicants with diabetes treated with insulin are not barred from obtaining a Group 1 licence if they do not have impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia, has been without more than one severe hypoglycaemic attack for a year and meets other conditions set out in the Regulations.
*Hypoglycaemia is condition resulting in a low blood sugar level. It causes irregular or rapid heartbeat, pale skin, numbness of lips, tongue or cheek, and sweating.
**Severe hypoglycaemia means an episode of hypoglycaemia requiring the assistance of another person.
***Impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia means the inability to detect the onset of hypoglycaemia because of total absence of warning symptoms.
Regulation 3 of the amendment makes changes to regulation 73 of the 1999 Regulations so that disabilities must be declared in relation to Group 2 licence applications (for larger vehicles including heavy goods vehicles and buses).
A declaration must be made if the applicant suffers from diabetes treated with medication that carries a risk of inducing hypoglycaemia. In this situation, the condition will be classed as a relevant disability if the applicant has had one or more episodes of severe hypoglycaemia during the previous one-year period, or where there is no full awareness of hypoglycaemia.
However, applicants with diabetes treated with insulin for over 4 weeks, are not barred from obtaining a Group 2 licence if there is full awareness of hypoglycaemia, there has been no severe hypoglycaemic attack for a year, and other conditions concerning diabetes are met.
Regulation 4 of the amendment requires the Secretary of State to carry out a review of regulation 2 and regulation 3 of the same amendment at least every five years. The conclusions of the review must be published in a report.
*Staging is the process of adding a higher category entitlement to a driving licence, i.e. a category B driving licence would be needed before applying for provisional entitlement to drive a lorry or a bus.
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