When I was in Brussels last year, I was astonished to see a giant RAM truck parked in front of the Horta Museum (pictured at the top of this post). It looked so out of place, sticking way out into the road, and probably wouldn’t even be able to drive on many of the roads. I wondered how it could even be imported, given that it doesn’t meet European safety standards.
It turns out that there is an “Individual Vehicle Approval” loophole that lets individuals import “N1G” (off-road) or “specialist” category vehicles that don’t meet safety or emissions standards; 6,800 Dodge Rams and Ford F-150s were imported into Europe this way in 2022. Rams are by far the most popular.
Soon, it won’t be so difficult or expensive, and there might be Dodge dealers across Europe; on Aug. 21, the United States and the European Union agreed on a "Fair, and Balanced Trade" framework. To placate the U.S. and avoid massive tariffs, the Europeans gave away the store on food restrictions, energy, military procurement, and, of most interest for this post, cars:
"With respect to automobiles, the United States and the European Union intend to accept and provide mutual recognition to each other’s standards.”
The problem here is that when it comes to pedestrian safety, the United States has no standards; our nation has ignored the issue forever. The Biden administration started the process of developing standards and introducing emergency braking systems, but the Trump administration is rolling them back. In April, President Trump complained about safety standards:
“It’s not only tariffs. It’s non-monetary tariffs ... where they put things on that make it impossible for you to sell a car. It’s not a money thing. They make it so difficult, the standards and the tests. They drop the bowling ball on the top of your car from 20 feet up in the air and if there's a little dent they say, 'No, I'm sorry, your car doesn't qualify.'"
But he got this backward: the point of the test is that the hood of the car is supposed to be soft enough to dent when a pedestrian’s head hits it.
“President Trump’s grasp of the facts is tenuous, and he misunderstands the test," said David Ward, president emeritus of Global New Car Assessment Program. "Cars fail to pass if the hood doesn’t dent, not if it does.”
The European Transport Safety Council issued a press release after the agreement was announced:
“By signing up to mutual recognition of vehicle standards with the United States, the European Union has waved the white flag on road safety. This is not a technical detail – it is a political choice that puts trade convenience ahead of saving lives… Allowing American vehicles onto the EU market on the basis of ‘mutual recognition’ of standards is a betrayal of Europe’s safety leadership, and it will cost lives. Europe now risks being flooded with oversized, under-regulated U.S. pick-up trucks and SUVs – vehicles that are heavier, more dangerous to other car drivers, pedestrians and cyclists, and completely out of step with Europe’s vision for safer, more sustainable mobility.”
I have discussed the differences in safety standards many times, noting that European vehicles, even their trucks, are designed around tough European NCAP safety standards, which ensure that there is good visibility and, when someone is hit, they are more likely to roll up on top rather than having to be picked out of the grill.
The Euro-jellybean cars and trucks may be boring, but they are a lot less deadly. It’s not just the height or the hardness; even the angle matters.
When Tesla introduced the Model S to Europe, the company had to add an “active bonnet” or hood that has devices to popped up the hood three inches and absorb the impact energy in a crash.
Carlton Reid notes in Forbes that advocacy group Transport & Environment is calling for even tougher regulations that cap the top of the hood at 33 inches. Reid writes:
Research found that a driver of a Ram TRX was unable to see children aged up to 9 who were standing directly in front, while a driver of a Land Rover Defender could not see children aged up to 4 1/2.
T&E also called out the often aggressive marketing slogans used in car advertising. RAM advertises some of its vehicles as, “Built to impress, known to intimidate.”
“The intention is clear,” says T&E. “Such companies are trading on the intimidation that comes with high-fronted vehicles, ignoring their related dangers.”
European standards ensure that drivers can see the road and the people in front of them. As the ETSC noted, “Europe’s mandatory requirements for life-saving technologies such as automated emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance and pedestrian protection have made our cars safer and our roads less deadly. None of these protections are guaranteed under U.S. rules.”
But thanks to the EU’s pandering to Trump, Europeans will soon be able to drive in a street-legal GMC or RAM while sipping rBST tainted milk and chewing on Ractopamine-tainted pork sandwiches, all now legal thanks to that “fair and balanced” trade agreement.
Canada is doing its own pandering to Trump as well these days, desperately trying to save its auto industry. Perhaps instead, we should turn to Europe for our safety standards and build smaller, safer cars, where the driver can see my 6-year-old granddaughter (above).
This post originally appeared on Lloyd Alter's Substack, Carbon Upfront!, and is reprinted with permission.
