Road Safety Experts Condemn Looming Vehicle Tariffs As Dangerous
Twenty-three regional, national, and international road safety organizations have concerns that ... More progress will be reversed if automotive trade negotiations result in a roll back of safety standards.
Current disputes over tariffs and trade in automobiles could have an adverse impact on well-established global vehicle safety standards that could put everyone on the world's roads at risk – including pedestrians and children – making them victims of trade wars.
That devastating scenario motivated twenty-three regional, national, and international road safety organizations to address how progress will be reversed if automotive trade negotiations result in a roll back of safety standards.
'We believe that it is extremely important not to confuse well-established global regulations with alleged 'unfair' trade practices,' the safety experts wrote in a joint letter to Juan Carlos Muñoz, president of the International Transport Forum (ITF), a Paris-based intergovernmental organization with 69 member countries within the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
The letter was sent to Dr. Muñoz, who is also minister of transport and telecommunications for Chile, to share with fellow transport ministers from around the world, at the ITF's annual summit 'Transport Resilience to Global Shocks' in Leipzig, Germany, from Wednesday, May 21 through Friday, May 23.
David Ward, president emeritus of the Global New Car Assessment Program (Global NCAP), a nonprofit based in London and one of the signatories of the letter, answered questions for Forbes. His responses were edited for clarity and length.
Forbes: What's the goal of the letter?
Ward: To encourage transport ministers to push to maintain existing regulatory standards and make better use of the UN's global framework for vehicle regulations, which both promote safer cars and cross-border trade.
(For example, the letter stated, requirements for front and side crash tests, pedestrian protection, and electronic stability control, now commonly applied to passenger cars around the world, have for decades 'delivered huge economies of scale, making safety affordable in markets around the world.'
How did the letter come about?
Mostly provoked by President Donald Trump's claims that the so-called 'bowling ball' test is an unfair trade practice followed by threatened imposition of tariffs on many car producers. This concern was raised by leading European safety groups in a letter to the Financial Times on 31st March: President Von der Leyen urged to reject US vehicle standards in trade negotiations - ETSC. The latest joint letter is expressing similar sentiments, but from a global perspective.
(In a recent post on his organization's website, Mr. Ward quoted President Trump's remarks made at the White House on April 7, 2025 : 'It's not only tariffs. It's non-monetary tariffs. Its 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.')
Where do things stand currently regarding tariffs and trade disputes in the automotive industry? Is there any indication that these negotiations might impact safety standards?
It is too early to say and the trade disputes are on-going. The UK has stuck a deal involving autos with quotas that have cut the threatened US tariffs from 25% to 10%. It is not clear what kind of market access this will give US car makers, but the problem remains that they do not apply pedestrian protection standards that are required in the UK.
What's the worst case scenario and how would this impact well-established global vehicle safety standards?
The most vulnerable regulatory standard – because it is not applied in the US – is the pedestrian protection test requirements, which are now applied in China, India, the European Union (27 member states), Japan, South Korea and the UK. Another risk is that countries are discouraged from using the UN framework of vehicle regulations out of fear that it will provoke US retaliation.
(From the letter: 'Recently, Donald Trump, the President of the United States (US), criticized the pedestrian protection regulation claiming that it was being used to block trade in US made cars. In fact, the test – available since 2008 as a UN regulation– aims to soften the bonnet hood and bumper area to reduce the risk of injury to head, chest and leg of a pedestrian struck by a car.')
The letter mentions the importance of leveling up vehicle safety standards. How would that positively impact international import and export trade in automobiles from the US's perspective?
If the US applied the pedestrian protection regulation it could no longer be used as a way to block US car imports. In principle, greater harmonization of global regulatory standards improves cross-border trade and boosts economies of scale so that safer cars are more affordable.
The US is a lone wolf among major car producing countries for not yet applying the pedestrian protection regulation to reduce the risk of injury to head, chest and leg in a crash. Is the proposed action to apply the standard in the US at risk, and if yes, how would that likely impact trade in US made cars?
We are waiting to see if US Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is going to roll back on the pedestrian protection proposed rule making introduced by his predecessor. It will also be interesting to see if pedestrian protection is retained in the upgraded specification for the US NCAP tests scheduled for 2026.
(From the letter: "Unfortunately, the US stands alone as the only major car producing country that does not yet apply this well-known standard. However, this was about to change. Last year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed action on pedestrian protection, introducing a draft federal rule and including the test in the US New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) from 2026. The easiest way, therefore, for the US to improve market access for its cars is for the NHTSA to implement the pedestrian protection standard already applied by its major competitors.')
The signatories recommended several actions to the ITF transport ministers, such as refraining from including vehicle safety standards in their negotiations over tariffs and trade, to ensure automotive trade negotiations will not compromise safety and endanger the public.
Negotiations, the safety groups stressed, have the potential to improve both road safety and international trade in automobiles.
To learn more and read the full letter, click here.
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