Technical BulletinChild Protection Protocol V5.0
Clarification to § 3.5.1.2
Version 1.0

September 2009
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Child Protection Protocol V5.0. Clarification to 3.5.1.2
1.0
TB009
Euro NCAP Secretariat
September 2009
Euro NCAP Child Protection Protocol
Information
Immediate, results published from November 2009 andbeyond

Background
Since the inception of the Euro NCAP Child Protection assessment in Phase 13, there
have been requirements for disabling the passenger airbag to allow for the installationof child restraints on the front passenger seat. The current version of the Child
Protection Protocol is V5.0, April 2009 and reads:
3.5.1.2 Airbag Disabling Requirementsb) The airbag can be de-activated by a manual switch meeting the following requirements:
 Easily visibly information and warnings must be provided for the driver and front seatpassenger, showing the status of the airbag.
 Text must be in at least one of the languages of the country in which the vehicle is sold.
Alternatively, the words ‘Passenger AIRBAG OFF/ON’ are acceptable where therequirements of 3.5.1.1 are also met.
Note: ‘Pass’, ‘AB’ or other abbreviations are NOT acceptable.
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Pictograms are required to indicate the airbag status (ON and OFF).
If the information to indicate that the airbag is enabled is provided by an illuminated signal,
the signal is only required to be illuminated for a period of 60 seconds after the ignition isswitched on. The AIRBAG ON pictogram must be the same as that used in the airbag warninglabel (section 3.5.1.1).
Information to indicate that the airbag is disabled must be permanently displayed, when theignition is on.
The switch must be accompanied by text in at least one of the languages of the country which
the vehicle is sold. Alternatively, the switch may be labelled with the text ‘Passenger
AIRBAG OFF/ON’ providing it has also been used for the airbag status warning.
The individual switch positions must be marked with the same pictograms that are used toindicate that airbag status. However, they need not be illuminated on the switch.
Any labelling/instructions must be permanently attached to the vehicle. The switch
labelling/instructions must be adjacent to the switch itself and clearly visible at the time ofactivation/deactivation.
The information provided must be clear, without reference to the vehicle’s handbook or othersource.
There must be no possibility of the users being given false information.
If, with the ignition on and with engine running or not, the switch position can be changed, thesystem must react correctly to the change.

It has become apparent that with regard to the functionality of the system, therequirements of the protocol can be misinterpreted. This Technical Bulletin will serve
as clarification of the requirements employed by Euro NCAP until an updated
protocol is produced.
Clarifications
1) Where Euro NCAP refers to the airbag deactivation components as ‘the system’,this is considered to mean the switch, airbag status indicator, airbag any othercomponents associated with the deactivation of the airbag.
2) The protocol states the following:If, with the ignition on and with engine running or not, the switch position can be changed, thesystem must react correctly to the change.

T009-1/2

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If the information to indicate that the airbag is enabled is provided by an illuminated signal,
the signal is only required to be illuminated for a period of 60 seconds after the ignition isswitched on. The AIRBAG ON pictogram must be the same as that used in the airbag warninglabel (section 3.5.1.1).

Euro NCAP requires, as a ‘correct’ reaction to the change in switch position, that any
change of status in the passenger airbag must be reflected in the status indicator
immediately. If at any time the airbag is switched from the OFF position to the ONposition, the status indicator showing that the airbag is ON must signal this
immediately for at least 60 seconds, regardless of the length of time the ignition has
been switched on.
The above clarifications are in line with the intention of the protocol since its
inception and have been applied to systems that were assessed in the past. The
above interpretation of the requirements will be more strictly followed withimmediate affect and will apply to results published from November 2009 andbeyond.

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