Legislation That Could Kill Our Hobby:
There is a proposal by the EU to 'harmonise' regulation surrounding type approval of non-indigenous (ie: American, Chinese, Indian) vehicles into Europe. The Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) came in in Ireland in April 09 and the new proposed regulations will adversely affect inportation of new American vehicles into European countries that drive on the left - that's us in Ireland and the UK essentially.
There is a new European proposal which could become law very soon which will tighten the regulations and close most of the exceptions we have.
Issues such as assymetric lighting systems, specific (and expensive) tests for noise levels, emmisions. The current 12x6 number plates could be outlawed requiring new rear and front ends like on the European spec late model Corvettes. This is the number plate issue 1000-fold!
We all know that what starts with new vehicle trickles down - like the new NCT test rules for 30 year old vehicles which has now morphed quietly into vehicles registered on or after 1st January 1980 requiring an NCT (check the road saftey authority (RSA) website). The potenital threat is it kills off American vehicles in Ireland and Europe.
Write to your MEP now so that current licenced American vehicles are not put off the road due the high cost of compliance with this proposal. Also on new or almost new American vehicles it will be next to impossible to get a DOE or NCT without extensive and expensive modification.
Click here for a copy of a letter to send to you MEP |
