1977L0538 — EN — 29.06.1977 — 000.001 — 1
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►B COUNCIL DIRECTIVE
of 28June 1977
on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to rear fog lamps for motor
vehicles and their trailers
(77/538/EEC)
(OJ L 220, 29.8.1977, p. 60)
Corrected by:
►C1Corrigendum, OJ L 284, 10.10.1978, p. 11 (77/538)
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COUNCIL DIRECTIVE
of 28June 1977
on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to
rear fog lamps for motor vehicles and their trailers
(77/538/EEC)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic
Community, and in particular Article 100 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament(
1),
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee(2),
Whereas the technical requirements which motor vehicles must satisfy
pursuant to national laws relate inter alia to their rear fog lamps;
Whereas these requirements differ from one Member State to another;
whereas it is therefore necessary that all Member States adopt the samerequiremen ts either inadditionto or inplace of their existin g rules, inorder, inparticular, to allow the EEC type-approval procedure whichwas the subject of Council Directive 70/156/EEC of 6 February 1970 onthe approximationof the laws of the Member States relatin g to thetype-approval of motor vehicles and their trailers(
3), to be introduced in
respect of each type of vehicle;
Whereas inDirective 76/756/EEC (4), the Council laid down the
common requirements for the installation of lighting and light-signallingdevices onmotor vehicles an d their trailers;
Whereas a harmonized component type-approval procedure for rear fog
lamps makes it possible for each Member State to check compliancewith the common construction and testing requirements and to informthe other Member States of its findings by sending a copy of thecomponent type-approval certificate completed for each type of rear foglamp; whereas the placing of an EEC component type-approval mark onall rear fog lamps manufactured in conformity with the approved typeobviates any need for technical checks on these rear fog lamps in theother Member States;
Whereas it is desirable to draft the technical requirements so that they
have the same aim as the work bein g carried out onthe subject intheUN Economic Commission for Europe;
Whereas the approximation of national laws relating to motor vehicles
entails reciprocal recognition by Member-States of the tests carried outby each of them onthe basis of the commonrequiremen ts,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:
Article 1
1. Each Member State shall grant EEC component type-approval for
any type of rear fog lamp which satisfies the construction and testingrequirements laid down in Annexes 0, II and III.
2. The Member State which has granted EEC component type-
approval shall take the measures required inorder to verify that produc-tionmodels con form to the approved type, inso far as this is n ecessary
(1) OJ No C 118, 16. 5. 1977, p. 29.
(2) OJ No C 114, 11. 5. 1977, p. 2.
(3) OJ No L 42, 23. 2. 1970, p. 1.
(4) OJ No L 262, 27. 9. 1976, p. 1.
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and if need be in cooperation with the competent authorities in the other
Member States. Such verificationshall be limited to spot checks.
Article 2
Member States shall for each type of rear fog lamp which they approve
pursuant to Article 1, issue to the manufacturer, or to his authorizedrepresentative, an EEC component type-approval mark conforming tothe model showninAn n ex II.
Member States shall take all appropriate measures to prevent the use of
marks liable to create confusion between rear fog lamps which havebeen type-approved pursuant to Article 1, and other devices.
Article 3
1. No Member State may prohibit the placing on the market of rear
fog lamps on grounds relating to their construction or method of func-tioning if they bear the EEC component type-approval mark.
2. Nevertheless, a Member State may prohibit the placing on the
market of rear fog lamps bearing the EEC component type-approvalmark which consistently fail to conform to the approved type.
That State shall inform the other Member States and the Commission
forthwith of the measures taken, specifying the reasons for its decision.
Article 4
The competent authorities of each Member State shall within one month
send to the competent authorities of the other Member States a copy ofthe component type-approval certificates, an example of which is givenin Annex I, completed for each type of rear fog lamp which theyapprove or refuse to approve.
Article 5
1. If the Member State which has granted EEC component type-
approval finds that a number of rear fog lamps bearing the same EECcomponent type-approval mark do not conform to the type which it hasapproved, it shall take the necessary measures to ensure that productionmodels conform to the approved type. The competent authorities of thatState shall advise those of the other Member States of the measurestaken which may, where there is consistent failure to conform, extend towithdrawal of EEC component type-approval. The said authorities shalltake the same measures if they are informed by the competent authori-ties of another Member State of such failure to conform.
2. The competent authorities of Member States shall inform each
other within one month of any withdrawal of EEC component type-approval, and of the reasons for such a measure.
Article 6
Any decision taken pursuant to the provisions adopted in implementa-
tion of this Directive, to refuse or withdraw EEC component type-approval for a rear fog lamp or prohibit its placing on the market or useshall set out indetail the reason s onwhich it is based. Such decisionshall be notified to the party concerned, who shall at the same time beinformed of the remedies available to him under the laws in force in theMember States and of the time limits allowed for the exercise of suchremedies.
Article 7
No Member State may refuse to grant EEC type-approval or national
type-approval of any vehicle on grounds relating to its rear fog lamps ifthese bear the EEC component type-approval mark and are fitted inaccordance with the requirements laid down in Directive 76/756/EEC.
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Article 8
No Member State may refuse or prohibit the sale, registration, entry into
service or use of any vehicle on grounds relating to its rear fog lamps ifthese bear the EEC component type-approval mark and are fitted inaccordance with the requirements laid down in Directive 76/756/EEC.
Article 9
For the purposes of this Directive, ‘vehicle' means any motor vehicle
intended for use on the road, with or without bodywork, having at leastfour wheels and a maximum design speed exceeding 25 km/h, and itstrailers, with the exceptionof vehicles which runonrails, agricultural orforestry tractors and machinery and public works vehicles.
Article 10
Any amendments necessary to adjust the requirements of the Annexes
to take account of technical progress shall be adopted in accordancewith the procedure laid downinArticle 13 of Directive 70/156/EEC.
Article 11
1. Member States shall bring into force the provisions needed in
order to comply with this Directive within 18 months of its notificationand shall forthwith inform the Commission thereof.
2. Member States shall ensure that the texts of the main provisions of
national law which they adopt in the field covered by this Directive arecommunicated to the Commission.
Article 12
This Directive is addressed to the Member States.
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LIST OF ANNEXES
ANNEX 0: Definitions, general specifications, intensity of light
emitted, test procedure, heat resistance test, colour of lightemitted, conformity of production
ANNEX I: Model EEC component type-approval certificateANNEX II: EEC component type-approval and marking requirementsANNEX III: Photometric measurements
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ANNEX 0
DEFINITIONS, GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS, INTENSITY OF LIGHT
EMITTED, TEST PROCEDURE, HEAT RESISTANCE TEST, COLOUR
OF LIGHT EMITTED, CONFORMITY OF PRODUCTION
1. DEFINITIONS
1.1. ‘Rear fog lamp 'means the lamp used to render the vehicle more readily
visible from the rear inden se fog.
1.2. ‘Axis of reference 'means the characteristic axis of the light signal, deter-
mined by the manufacturer for use as the direction of reference (H = 0 °,V
=0 °) for photometric measurements and when fitting the lamp on the
vehicle.
1.3. ‘Centre of reference 'means the intersection of the axis of reference with
the exterior light-emitting surface, specified by the manufacturer of thelamp.
1.4. ‘Exterior light-emitting surface ', for a defined direction of observation,
means the orthogonal projection of the light-emitting surface on a planeperpendicular to the direction of observation.
1.5. ‘Type of rear fog lamp 'means rear fog lamps which do not differ in such
essential respects as:
1.5.1. the trade name or mark;1.5.2. the characteristics of the optical system;1.5.3. the inclusion of components capable of altering the optical effects by
reflection, refraction or absorption;
1.5.4. the type of filament lamp.
2. GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
2.1. Each sample referred to in 1.2.3 of Annex II shall conform to the specifi-
cations set forth in the sections below.
2.2. The rear fog lamps shall be so designed and constructed that under normal
conditions of use, notwithstanding any vibration to which they may besubjected during such use, their satisfactory operation remains assured andthey retainthe characteristics prescribed by this Directive.
3. INTENSITY OF LIGHT EMITTED
3.1. The light emitted by each of the two samples referred to in 1.2.3 of Annex
II, having met the requirements of 5 below, shall be of not less than theminimum intensity and of not more than the maximum intensity specifiedbelow and shall be measured in relation to the axis of reference in thedirections shown below (expressed in degrees from the axis of reference).
3.2. The intensity along the H and V axes, between 10 °to the left and 10 °to
the right and between 5 °up and 5 °down, shall not be less than 150 cd.
The intensity between the axes shall not be less than 75 cd.
3.3. The intensity of the light emitted in all directions in which the light can be
observed shall not exceed 300 cd.
3.4. The exterior light-emittin g surface inthe directionof the referen ce axis
shall not exceed 140 cm
2.
3.5. Annex III gives particulars of the measurement methods to be used.
4. TEST PROCEDURE
All measurements shall be carried out with a colourless standard filament
lamp of the type recommended for the rear fog lamp and so regulated asto produce the normal luminous flux prescribed for this type of lamp.
5. HEAT RESISTANCE TEST
5.1. The lamp shall be subjected to a one-hour test of continuous operation
following a warm-up period of 20 minutes. The ambient temperature shallbe 23 ± 5 °C. The filament lamp used shall be of the category recom-
mended for the lamp, and shall be supplied with current at a voltage suchthat it gives the specified average power at the corresponding test voltage.
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5.2. Where only the maximum power is specified, the test shall be carried out
by regulating the voltage to obtain a power equal to 90 % of the specifiedpower. The average or maximum power specified above shall inall casesbe chosenfrom the voltage ran ge of 6, 12 or 24 V at which it reaches thehighest value.
5.3. After the lamp has been stabilized at the ambient temperature, no distor-
tion, deformation, cracking or colour modification shall be perceptible.
6. COLOUR OF LIGHT EMITTED
The device must emit a red light. The colour of the light emitted, meas-
ured by using a source of light at a colour temperature of 2 854 K,corresponding to illuminant A of the International Commission on Illumi-nation (CIE), must be within the limits of the following trichromaticcoordinates:
limit towards yellow: y ≤0·335
limit towards purple: z ≤0·008.
7. CONFORMITY OF PRODUCTION
Every rear fog lamp being an EEC component type-approval mark must
conform to the type approved and comply with the photometric conditionsspecified in3 an d 6. Nevertheless, inthe case of a rear fog lamp picked atrandom from series production, the requirements as to minimum intenstiyof the light emitted (measured with a standard filament lamp as referred toin4) may be limited ineach relevan t directionto 80 % of the min imumvalue specified in3.
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ANNEX I

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ANNEX II
EEC COMPONENT TYPE-APPROVAL AND MARKING REQUIRE-
MENTS
1. APPLICATION FOR EEC COMPONENT TYPE-APPROVAL
1.1. The application for EEC component type-approval shall be submitted by
the holder of the trade name or mark or by his authorized representative.
1.2. For each type of rear fog lamp, the applicationshall be accompan ied by:1.2.1. a brief technical description stating, in particular, the type(s) of filament
lamp(s) recommended, which must comply with the specifications of►
C1the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC); ◄
1.2.2. drawings, (three copies), in sufficient detail to permit identification of the
type of the rear fog lamp and showing, geometrically, the position inwhich the rear fog lamp is to be mounted on the vehicle, the axis ofobservationto be takenas the axis of referen ce inthe tests (horizon talangle H = 0 °, vertical angle V = 0 °), and the point to be taken as the
centre of reference in the said tests;
1.2.3. two samples; if the rear fog lamp is such that it can be mounted only on
one side of the vehicle, the two samples submitted may be identical andbe suitable for mounting only on the right or only on the left side of thevehicle;
1.2.4. an additional sample to be kept by the laboratory for any subsequent
verificationwhich may prove n ecessary.
2. MARKINGS
2.1. The samples of a type of rear fog lamp submitted for EEC component
type-approval must bear:
2.1.1. the trade name or mark of the applicant, which must be clearly legible and
indelible;
2.1.2. a clearly legible and indelible marking indicating the type(s) of filament
lamp(s) recommended;
2.1.3. and incorporate a space large enough to contain the EEC component
type-approval mark, including the additional symbols prescribed in 4; thisspace shall be shown in the drawings mentioned in 1.2.2.
3. EEC COMPONENT TYPE-APPROVAL
3.1. If the two samples submitted inaccordan ce with 1.2.3 meet the require-
ments of Annexes 0, II and III, EEC component type-approval shall begranted and a component type-approval number assigned.
3.2. This number shall not be assigned to any other type of rear fog lamp.3.3. Where EEC component type-approval is requested for a type of lighting
and light-signalling device comprising a rear fog lamp and other lamps, asingle EEC component type-approval mark may be issued provided thatthe rear fog lamp complies with the requirements of this Directive and thateach of the other lamps forming part of the lighting and light-signallingdevice for which EEC component type-approval is requested, complieswith the specific Directive applying to it.
4. MARKS
4.1. Every rear fog lamp conforming to a type approved under this Directive
shall bear an EEC component type-approval mark.
4.2. This mark shall consist of a rectangle surrounding the lower-case letter ‘e',
followed by the distinguishing number or letter(s) of the Member Statewhich has granted the component type-approval:
1 for Germany,2 for France,3 for Italy,4 for the Netherlands,6 for Belgium,
11 for the United Kingdom,13 for Luxembourg,
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18 for Denmark,
IRL for Ireland.
It must also include the EEC component type-approval number which
corresponds to the number of the EEC component type-approval certifi-cate issued for the type of rear fog lamp inquestion .
4.3. The EEC component type-approval mark shall be supplemented by an
additional symbol ‘F'.
4.4. The EEC component type-approval number must be placed in any conve-
nient position near the rectangle surrounding the letter ‘e'.
4.5. The EEC component type-approval mark and the additional symbol must
be affixed to the lens of the lamp, or one of the lenses, in such a way as tobe indelible and clearly legible even when the rear fog lamp(s) is (are)fitted onthe vehicle.
4.6. An example of the EEC component type-approval mark and the additional
symbol are showninAppen dix 1.
4.7. Where a single EEC component type-approval number is issued, as under
3.3, for a type of lighting and light-signalling device comprising a rear foglamp and other lamps, one EEC component type-approval mark only maybe affixed, consisting of:
— a rectangle surrounding the letter ‘e' followed by the distinguishing
letter(s) or number of the Member State which has granted the EECcomponent type-approval,
— an EEC component type-approval number,— the additional symbols required by the various Directives under which
EEC component type-approval was granted.
4.8. The dimensions of the various components of this mark shall not be less
than the largest of the minimum dimensions specified for individualmarkings by the Directives under which the EEC component type-approval was granted.
4.9. Examples of the component type-approval mark for a device comprising
several lamps are giveninAppen dix 2.
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Appendix 1
Example of an EEC component type-approval mark
The device bearing the EEC component type-approval mark shown above is a rear fog lamp EEC
type-approved in the United Kingdom (e 11) under the number 1471.
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Appendix 2
Example of EEC component type-approval marks
The device bearing the EEC component type-approval mark shown above is a device comprising a
directionin dicator lamp incategory 2, a stop lamp, a rear position(side) lamp, a reflex reflector inclass I, and a rear fog lamp, EEC type-approved in Belgium (e 6) under the number 270. The arrowshows in what position this device, which can be mounted only on one side of the vehicle, is to bemounted. The arrow points towards the front of the vehicle.
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Examples of the markings on an EEC-type-approved device comprising several lamps (reciprocally incorporated)

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ANNEX III
PHOTOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS
1. During photometric measurements, stray reflections shall be prevented by
appropriate masking.
2. The measurements shall be carried out in such a way as to meet the
following requirements:
2.1. the distance of measurement shall be such that the law of the inverse of the
square of the distance is applicable;
2.2. the measuring equipment shall be such that the angular aperture of the
receiver viewed from the reference centre of the lamp is between 10 /prime1and
1°;
2.3. the intensity requirement for a particular direction of observation shall be
satisfied if that requirement is met in a direction deviating by not more than15/prime1from the directionof observation .
3. The directionH = 0 °a ndV=0 °corresponds to the axis of reference
(which, whenthe lamp is moun ted onthe vehicle, must be horizon tal,parallel to the median longitudinal plane of the vehicle and oriented in therequired direction of visibility). It passes through the centre of reference.
3.1. Intensities outside the axes shall be measured within the rhombus described
by the extreme directions of measurement (see diagram above).