§ Mr. Pardoeasked the Secretary of State for Transport what minimum level of reserve braking is required in new British cars sold in the United Kingdom and the United States of America, respectively.
§ Mr. HoramIn the United Kingdom new cars are currently required to have a minimum secondary braking efficiency of 25 per cent., based on the maximum rate of deceleration achieved during a stopping test; this will increase to 27 per cent. for cars first registered on or after 1st April 1978, and be related to the mean rate of deceleration achieved.
The equivalent requirement in the United States of America is 26.4 per cent., related to a mean rate of deceleration.
§ Mr. Pardoeasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he is satisfied that all cars now being sold to British motorists incorporate sufficient warning of the failure of one of the brake circuits.
§ Mr. HoramAt present there is no requirement for a brake failure warning device to be fitted but under the Motor Vehicles (Type Approval) (Great Britain) (Amendment) Regulations 1977 such a device will have to be fitted to all cars manufactured on or after 1st October 1978 and first registered on or after 1st April 1979.