1978L0549 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 001.001 — 1
This document is meant purely as a documentation tool and the institutions do not assume any liability for its contents
►B COUNCILDIRECTIVE
of12June1978
on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the wheel guards of motor
vehicles
(78/549/EEC)
(OJ L 168, 26.6.1978, p. 45)
Amended by:
Official Journal
No page date
►M1Commission Directive 94/78/EC of 21 December 1994 L 354 10 31.12.1994
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COUNCILDIRECTIVE
of12June1978
on the approximationof the lawsofthe Member States relating to
thewheelguardsofmotorvehicles
(78/549/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 the wheel guardsof motor
vehicles;
Whereasthes e requirementsdiffer from one Member State to another;
whereas it is therefore necessary that all Member States adopt the samerequirementseither in addition to or in place of their exis ting rulesin
order, in particular, to allow the EEC type-approval procedure which
wasthe s ubject of Council Directive 70/156/EEC of 6 February 1970on the approximation of the lawsof the Member Statesrelating to thetype-approval of motor vehiclesand their trailers (
3), aslas t amended
by Directive 78/547/EEC(4), to be introduced in respect of each type
of vehicle;
Whereasthe approximation of national lawsrelating to motor vehicles
entailsthe mutual recognition by Member Statesof the ins pectionscarried out by each of them on the basis of the common requirements,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:
Article 1
For the purposes of this Directive, ‘vehicle’ means any motor vehicle
in category M1►M1(asdefined in Annex II A to Directive 70/156/
EEC)◄designed for use on the road, having at least four wheels and
a maximum design speed exceeding 25 km/h.
Article 2
No Member State may refuse to grant EEC type-approval or national
type-approval of a vehicle on groundsrelating to the wheel guardsif
they satisfy the requirements laid down in Annex I.
Article 3
No Member State may refuse or prohibit the sale, registration, entry
into service or use of any vehicle on grounds relating to the wheelguards if they satisfy the requirements laid down in Annex I.
Article 4
Any amendments necessary to adapt the provisions of the Annexes to
take account of technical progress shall be adopted in accordance withthe procedure laid down in Article 13 of Directive 70/156/EEC.1978L0549 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 001.001 — 2
(1) OJ No C 118, 16. 5. 1977, p. 29.
(2) OJ No C 114, 11. 5. 1977, p. 6.
(3) OJ No L 42, 23. 2. 1970, p. 1.
(4) See page 39 of thisOfficial Journal.
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Article 5
1. Member States shall bring into force the provisions necessary in
order to comply with thisDirective within 18 monthsof itsnotification
and 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 thisDirectiveare communicated to the Commission.
Article 6
This Directive is addressed to the Member States.1978L0549 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 001.001 — 3
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ListofAnnexes
Annex I General requirements, special requirements, use of chains, applica-
tion for EEC type-approval, granting of EEC type-approval,
amendmentsto approvals , conformity of production
Annex II Information document
Annex III Type-approval certificate1978L0549 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 001.001 — 4
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ANNEX I
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS, SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS, USE OF
CHAINS, APPLICATION FOR EEC TYPE-APPROVAL, GRANTING
OF EEC TYPE-APPROVAL, AMENDMENTS TO APPROVALS,
CONFORMITYOFPRODUCTION
1. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
1.1. The motor vehicle must be provided with wheel guards (parts of the
bodywork, mudguards, etc.).
1.2. The wheel guards must be so designed as to protect other road users, as
far as possible, against thrown-up stones, mud, ice, snow and water and
to reduce for those users the dangers due to contact with the moving
wheels.
2. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
2.1. The wheel guardss hall meet the following requirementswhen the
vehicle isin running order (s ee item 2.6 of Annex II) and carrying
one passenger in the front seat and the wheels are in the straight ahead
position:
2.1.1. In the part formed by radial planesat an angle of 30 to the front and 50
to the rear of the centre of the wheels(s ee Figure 1), the overal width
(q) of the wheel guards shall be at least sufficient to cover the total type
width (b) taking into account the extremesof tyre/wheel combination as
specified by the manufacturer and as indicated in item 1.3 of the
Appendix to Annex III. In the case of twin wheels, the total width
over the two tyres(t) s hall be taken into account.
2.1.1.1. For the purposes of determining the widths referred to in 2.1.1, the
labelling (marking) and decorations, protective bands or ribs on tyre
wallsare not taken into account.
2.1.2. The rear of the wheel guardsmus t not terminate above a horizontal
plane 150 mm above the axisof rotation of the wheels(asmeas ured
at the wheel centres) and furthermore the intersection of the edge of
the wheel guard with this plane (point A, figure 1) must lie outside
the median longitudinal plane of the tyre, or in the case of twin wheels
the median longitudinal plane of the outermost tyre.
2.1.3. The contour and location of the wheel guards shall be such that they are
as close to the tyre as possible; and in particular within the part formed
by the radial planes referred to in 2.1.1, they shall satisfy the following
requirements:
2.1.3.1. the projection — situated in the vertical plane of the tyre axis — of the
depth (p) of the outer edge of the wheel guards, measured in the
vertical longitudinal plane passing through the centre of the tyre, must
be at least 30 mm. This depth (p) may be reduced progressively to zero
at the radial planess pecified in 2.1.1;
2.1.3.2. the distance (c) between the lower edges of the wheel guards and the
axis passing through the centre of the wheels must not exceed 2r, ‘r’
being the static radius of the tyre.
2.1.4. In the case of vehicles having adjustable suspension height, the above-
mentioned requirementsmus t be met when the vehicle isin the normal
running position specified by the vehicle manufacturer.
2.2. The wheel guards may consist of several components, provided no gaps
exist between or within the individual parts when assembled.
2.3. The wheel guardsmus t be firmly attached. However, they may be
detachable either asa unit or in parts .
3. USE OF CHAINS
3.1. In the case of vehicles where only two wheels are driven, the manufac-
turer shall certify that the vehicle is so designed that at least one type of
snow chain can be used on at least one of the types of wheel and tyre
approved for the drive wheelsof that type of vehicle. One chain/tyre/1978L0549 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 001.001 — 5
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wheel combination that is suitable for the vehicle shall be specified by
the manufacturer and indicated in item 1.2 of the Appendix to Annex
III.
3.2. In the case of vehicles where four wheels are driven, including vehicles
where one drive axle may be disengaged manually or automatically, the
manufacturer shall certify that the vehicle is so designed that at least
one type of snow chain can be used on at least one of the types of
wheel and tyre approved for at least one drive axle, which cannot be
disengaged, of that type of vehicle. One chain/tyre/wheel combination
that is situable for the vehicle and the drive wheels to which these
chains may be fitted shall be specified by the manufacturer and indi-
cated in item 1.2 of the Appendix to Annex III.
3.3. Instructions regarding the type or types of chains that may be used must
accompany each vehicle falling within the series conforming to the
EEC type-approval vehicle.
4. APPLICATION FOR EEC TYPE-APPROVAL
4.1. The application for EEC type-approval pursuant to Article 3 (4) of
Directive 70/156/EEC of a vehicle type with regard to wheel guards
shall be submitted by the manufacturer.
4.2. A model for the information document isgiven in Annex II.
4.3. A vehicle representative of the type of vehicle to be approved must be
submitted to the technical service responsible for conducting type-
approval tests.
5. GRANTING OF EEC TYPE-APPROVAL
5.1. If the relevant requirements are satisfied, EEC type-approval pursuant
to Article 4 (3) of Directive 70/156/EEC shall be granted.
5.2. A model for the EEC type-approval certificate isgiven in Annex III.
5.3. An approval number in accordance with Annex VII to Directive 70/156/
EEC shall be assigned to each type of vehicle approved. The same
Member State shall not assign the same number to another type of
vehicle.
6. MODIFICATIONS OF THE TYPE AND AMENDMENTS TO
APPROVALS
6.1. In the case of modifications of the vehicle type approved pursuant to
this Directive, the provisions of Article 5 of Directive 70/156/EEC shall
apply.
7. CONFORMITY OF PRODUCTION
7.1. Measures to ensure the conformity of production shall be taken in
accordance with the provisions laid down in Article 10 of Directive
70/156/EEC.1978L0549 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 001.001 — 6
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Figure 11978L0549 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 001.001 — 7
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ANNEX II
Information document No …
pursuant to Annex I of Council Directive 70/156/EEC relating to EEC type-
approval of a vehicle with respect to the wheel guards, Directive 78/549/EEC,
aslas t amended by Directive …/…/EEC.
The following information, if applicable, must be supplied in triplicate and
include a list of contents. Any drawings must be supplied in appropriate scale
and in sufficient detail on size A4 or on a folder of A4 format. Photographs, if
any, must show sufficient detail.
If the systems, components or separate technical units have electronic controls,
information concerning their performance must be supplied
0 GENERAL
0.1. Make (trade name of manufacturer):
0.2. Type and general commercial description(s):0.3. Meansof identification of type, if marked, on the vehicle (
b):
0.3.1 Location of that marking:0.4. Category of vehicle (
c):
0.5. Name and address of manufacturer:
0.8. Address(es) of assembly plant(s):
1. GENERAL CONSTRUCTION CHARACTERISTICS OF THE
VEHICLE
1.1. Photographsand/or drawingsof a repres entative vehicle.
1.3. Number of axlesand wheels :1.3.1. Number and position of axles with double wheels.
2. MASSES AND DIMENSIONS (
e)
(in kg and mm) (refer to drawing where applicable)
2.4. Range of vehicle dimensions (overall)
2.4.1. For chassis without bodywork
The item numbers and footnotes used in this Information document correspond to those set
out in Annex I to Directive 70/156/EEC.
Itemsnot relevant for the purpos e of thisDirective are omitted.
2.4.1.3 Height (unladen) (l) (For suspension adjustable for height, indicate
normal running position):
2.4.2. For chassis with bodywork
2.4.2.3. Height (unladen) (l) (For suspension adjustable for height, indicate
normal running position):
2.6. Mass of the vehicle with bodywork in running order, or mass of the
chassis with cab if the manufacturer does not fit the bodywork
(including coolant, oils, fuel, tools, spare wheel and driver) (o)
(maximum and minimum for each version):
6. SUSPENSION
6.6. Tyresand wheels
6.6.1. Tyre/wheel combination(s) (For tyres indicate size designation,
minimum load capacity index, minimum speed category symbol; for
wheels indicate rim size(s) and off-set(s))
6.6.1.1. Axles6.6.1.1.1. Axle 1:6.6.1.1.2. Axle 2:6.6.1.1.3. Axle 3:
6.6.1.1.4. Axle 4:1978L0549 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 001.001 — 8
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6.6.4. Chain/tyre/wheel combination on the front and/or rear axle that is
suitable for the type of vehicle, as recommended by the manufacturer.
9. BODYWORK
9.16. Wheel guards
9.16.1. Brief description of the vehicle with regard to its wheel guards:
9.16.2. Detailed drawingsof the wheel guardsand their pos ition on the
vehicle showing the dimension specified in Figure 1 of Annex I to
Directive 78/549/EEC and taking account of the extremesof tyre/
wheel combinations.1978L0549 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 001.001 — 9
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ANNEX III
(1) Delete where not applicable.
(2) If the meansof identification of type containscharactersnot relevant to des cribe the vehicle, component or
separate technical unit types covered by this type-approval certificate such characters shall be represented in
the documentation by the symbol: ‘?’ (e.g. ABC??123??)
(3) Asdefined in Annex II A to Directive 70/156/EEC1978L0549 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 001.001 — 10
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Appendix
to EEC approval certificate No. …
concerning the type-approval of a vehicle with regard to Directive 78/549/EEC
as last amended by Directive …/…/EEC
1. Additional information
1.1. Brief description of the vehicle with regard to the wheel guards:1.2. Chain/tyre/wheel size combination on the front and/or rear axle specified
by the manufacturer:
1.3. Tyre/wheel combination(s) including off-sets specified by the manufac-
turer:
5. Remarks.1978L0549 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 001.001 — 11