Seat belts entered everyday cars in 1969. By 1970, mass adoption began in Soviet passenger cars, with belts designed to be fastened at the front using simple plugs. In 1973, a decree from the Council of Ministers ordered the production of seat belts in the USSR. That same year, belts were produced after crash testing at the Dmitrovsky car testing site and with approvals from the Ministry of Automotive Industry and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Norma, a well-known Estonian company, manufactured the belts. Cars sometimes arrived with belts already stored in the trunk, and motorists were responsible for fastening them according to attached instructions. The belts themselves were straightforward to use. It wasn’t until 1979 that the USSR made front-seat belt use mandatory.
What happened, then, was a sequence: mass in-country belt production preceded the mandate to wear them.
Where is the seat belt button?
With ERA-GLONASS the story diverged. The goal seemed simple: implement a binding order. Yet the reality was murky. Some parties claimed a basic control button could not be produced in the required quantities. The search for a solution appeared endless. Factories reported there was no button, installers argued there were no buttons available.
Initially, car manufacturers said there was no button and no place to install one. As a result, until August 1, buttonless cars were permitted, including models like Grant and the three-door Niva. After August 1, every vehicle needed either a functional button or a later installation performed through dealers with direct buyer involvement.
The situation has become especially confusing for owners of used foreign cars. In some regions buttons are non-existent; in others, prices have surged to as high as 80,000 rubles for a compact control unit. In some locales, installers offer additional services and insist on selling a button only with an SBCTS registration and an electronic TCP. The landscape varies widely.
Will the temporary pause in ERA-GLONASS make life easier for drivers? Many would say yes. For some buyers with imported used cars, the absence of a button means the car cannot be titled electronically or registered without the proper documentation.
What about taxes?
The temporary framework runs through February 1, 2023. What happens after that is unclear. Manufacturers of emergency call systems may be able to rework supply chains by then, and future buttons could be available. This is not simply a repeat of past moves; it reflects ongoing policy shifts.
The national decree eases the process for registering imported cars. It is unlikely to produce large price changes. Eliminating VAT on cars is a different question; such relief tends to target essentials like bread and groceries rather than vehicles. Cars remain an area of ongoing policy debate.
What actions are recommended?
One proposal is to eliminate customs duties on imported used cars, a step suggested earlier when it became clear that the market might face trouble. Some envision benefits for vehicles under five years old that meet certain environmental standards and engine size limits. This would shift the market toward newer imports, yet the state often resists such measures due to broader economic considerations. Local manufacturing remains a strategic objective for many regions.
In the meantime, importing cars remains a plausible option for buyers. Regional pricing can vary, and some markets in neighboring countries offer more favorable deals, though not universally.
- Prices of vehicles across nearby regions can be more attractive, though not universally so.
- Updates and analysis on vehicle policy and market conditions are shared through various channels like official briefings and trusted automotive news outlets.