The performance of any vehicle is governed by numerous standards and regulations affecting many attributes, most notably safety
Occupant safety is regulated by directives applying to front crash, front offset crash (at various speeds), side impact and rear impact. The protrusion, hardness and radius of all interior components are regulated to minimise occupant injury in the event of a crash. Pedestrian safety is also regulated and tested; the latest standards cover leg, hip, torso, and head protection.
Vehicles from international manufacturers operating in global markets have to be designed to meet all legislation while vehicles designed for local markets may be designed to less stringent legal specifications.
There are two main sources of legislation worldwide: the European Commission (the legislative body of the European Union), and the USA’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The EC is the most progressive provider of standards and its recent directives concerning vehicle recycling and pedestrian impact are good examples of this.
In the EU, many of the directives operate via the European Whole Vehicle Type Approval (known as the anchor directive). This document outlines definitions and terms for different types of vehicles along with the specifications to which they must conform and the tests that must be applied to, and passed by, certain parts of a vehicle. Many of the EU countries have their own standards organisations, eg the British Standards Institute (BSI), which interpret and give cultural context to some of the directives to make them appropriate for their country. These bodies also offer support in terms of education and interpretation of standards.