Car industry ’buried report revealing US car safety flaws over fears for TTIP deal’
Paul GallagherThe motor industry has been accused of withholding a report that
reveals US cars are substantially less safe than European vehicles - for
fear that the findings would hamper the drive to harmonise safety
standards as part of the controversial Transatlantic Trade and
Investment Partnership (TTIP) deal.
The major study was commissioned by the car industry to show that existing EU and US safety standards were broadly similar.
But the research actually established that American models are much
less safe when it comes to front-side collisions, a common cause of
accidents that often result in serious injuries.
The findings were never submitted – or publicly announced – by the industry bodies that funded the study.
Safety campaigners have said the research showed that trade
negotiators would potentially be putting lives in danger by allowing
vehicles approved in the US to be sold in Europe and vice-versa.
The news casts a further shadow over a global industry already in the
spotlight following this week’s Volkswagen emissions scandal.
The Washington-based Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (AAM)
sponsored the research, announced in a joint press release last year
alongside the European car lobby ACEA and the American Automotive Policy
Council.
