Through New Zealand’s supervisory authority, the Department of Road Transport (TOM) will identify drivers who are unaware that their vehicles are equipped with Takata airbags, according to an article by Marios Christofis in kathimerini.com.cy. This step comes after some import companies failed to provide the necessary information, as revealed to K by the Minister of Transport, Alexis Vafeades.
During a closed-door session of the Parliamentary Transport Committee on Tuesday morning, the Ministry of Transport and the Legal Service informed committee members about the ongoing efforts to notify vehicle owners with Takata airbags. However, according to the committee’s president, Marinos Mousiouttas, the process did not unfold as originally planned, as the response from import companies was not as expected. While some companies fully cooperated by providing the required data, others did not respond adequately, making the identification process more challenging.
The Role of New Zealand’s Authority
Following this development, the Ministry of Transport acted swiftly, turning to New Zealand‘s supervisory authority to prevent delays, as decrees related to the issue are set to be issued on February 3.
As Minister of Transport Alexis Vafeades explained to K, this authority maintains an up-to-date database of all vehicles up to 2020. Using this resource, TOM was able to retrieve essential information on vehicles equipped with Takata airbags—details it did not previously have access to. This process is expected to be completed by Wednesday, January 29, allowing authorities to determine the exact number of affected vehicles. Once finalized, drivers will be notified accordingly.
Decrees to Be Issued in the Coming Days
The Ministry of Transport and the Legal Service are currently in discussions regarding the drafting of decrees concerning the Takata airbags. The Legal Service is expected to issue an opinion on how the decrees should be structured. According to Vafeades, all options remain open; however, the decrees will be finalized in the coming days and officially issued on Monday, February 3.
Source: kathimerini.com.cy
 will identify drivers who are unaware that their vehicles are equipped with Takata airbags){kind=link}