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Currently, two types of standards are used in the majority of the European countries :
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EN 1317-1 : Terminologie et dispositions générales pour les méthodes d'essai
EN 1317-2 : Vehicle restraint systems
EN 1317-3 : Crash cushion systems
EN 1317-4 : Terminals
EN 1317-5 : CE marking
EN 1317-6 : Pedestrian parapets
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For the generic products, the national standards have existed for several years, and are often supplemented by a system of licensing of manufacturers. In France, for example, ASQUER audites the system of production of manufacturers and control products in order to deliver NF marking, road equipments.
The European standards are more recent and the industrialists use them from now on to dimension their new products. However, there does not exist yet an European system of certification : each state has its own certification. A project of CE marking is under way. It is described in the standard EN 1317-5, in the process of being validated.
The standard EN 1317-5 should be published in 2007. From this date, a period of coexistence between the nation normative systems and the European normative system will begin. In 3 years maximum, the period of coexistence will be completed and only the European normative system will remain in force.
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The national standards are for the majority descriptive, that is said they impose dimensional specifications and materials to be respected.
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On the other hand, completely different compared to the national standards, the European standards are primarily based on the performance. Indeed, restraint systems must reach requirements in term of containment level, impact severity level, working width, vehicle handling, and integrity of the restraint system during the impact. In no way, they do not force dimensional specifications and/ or materials. These technical choices are responsabily for the designer.
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