Techsafe Seating was asked to speak on the VSB 5 Issues Paper at the May 2018 meeting of the Australian Motor Vehicle Certification Board (AMVCB). Subsequently at this meeting, a review of VSB 5 was agreed to. At the request of the AMVCB, Techsafe Seating will be involved in this review as industry representation.
The VSB 5 review statement can be seen at the DIRDAC host page here. Note the reinstatement of VSB 5A & VSB 5B.
Further to the review announcement, this communication is to advise that:
- Pending completion of the VSB 5 review process, all Techsafe Seating supplied 'Additional Seats' will provide evidence of VSB 5A compliance, until/unless advise otherwise
- Industry / Stakeholder comment and feedback in relation to VSB 5 will be useful for the review process, and is welcomed. Comments should be provided on an official letterhead and returned to this email address, for the coordination of feedback to the Working Group tasked with the VSB 5 review. The Working Group is headed by the Northern Territory (representative cc'd).
- An expression of broad industry support for the VSB 5 review is also an important aspect of the process. If you would like to your name to be added in support, please reply with a simple statement confirming this
The VSB 5 Issues Response Paper is attached again and the issues that the review process will seek to address, are:
- Requirements in VSB 5 that are not aligned with, and are more stringent than, legislative requirements for new vehicles - therefore a disadvantage to aftermarket
- Clauses in VSB 5 that are not worded clearly and therefore open to interpretation/confusion
- Potential for the CHILD Category 2 & 3 seat market to become redundant due to new requirements that are more stringent than those for new vehicles
- Need of a transitional arrangement (sunset clause), should VSB 5 review result in significant technical requirement changes, when compared with VSB 5A & VSB 5B
If you would like any clarification or more information on any matter, please contact our Business Development Manager directly.