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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM<79)772final
Brussels,31December197­
9.
PROPOSAL FORACOUNCILDIRECTIVE
ONTHEAPPROXIMATION OFTHELAWSOFTHEMEMBERSTATESRELATING
,TOREAR-VIEW MIRRORSFORTWO-ORTHREE-WHEELED MOTOR"
VEHICLES
(presentedbytheCommissiontotheCouncil)
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EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
I.GENERAL ". ■ ' •
Mopeds andmotor cycles ,included respectively inthe "General programme
fortheremoval oftechnical "barriers totrade which result from /
disparities ."between theprovisions laid down "bylaw ,regulation or
iadministrative action intheMember States "of28May 19^9 andthe
2supplement toitdated 21May1973 ,have been thesubject ofthree ■
–  
proposals fordirectives onEECtype approval procedures formopeds
andformotor cycles ,-andonthepermissible sound level andexhaust
system ofmotor cycles ,forwarded totheCouncil "bytheCommission
in1973 ,1974an&19^5 *Inconnection with thetwoproposals for
directives onEEC type approval formopeds andformotor cycles ,
theCouncil hasencountered political andadministrative difficulties
owing tothewide differences ""between thedefinitions ofmopeds and
motor cycles inforce intheMember States andconsequently ithas
notyetbeen able toadopt these newproposals .However ,in1978
itadopted the .Directive onthepermissible sound level and theexhaust
system ofmotor cycles 3.- - -
This proposal for adirective relates totheapproximation ofthe laws
ofthe Member States onrear-view mirrors for two–orthree –wheeled
vehicles .In'itsletter of9July .1979 »"th®French Government informed
theCommission ,pursuant totheagreement of28MayI969,as amended
on5March 1973 ,providing for Standstill .andnotification tothe
Commission ,ofitsintention toamend theFrench regulations onthe
subject .Inparticular ,theFrench draft .required arear–view mirror
tobefitted tomopeds sold new .asfrom 1October 198O .
Since other Member States also hadregulations ,inforce orinprospect ,
andthedifferences between them arelikely tocreate "barriers totrade ,
theCommission ,pursuant toArticle 100oftheTreaty-' isproposing
OJNoC76,17»6»1969 ,3?r1•
20JNoC38,x5.6.1973,P.1 .
.30JMpL349,13.12.1978 ,p.21.

Community arrangements toharmonize thenational provisions inforce
that affect theestablishment and .functioning ofthe common market .
Indrafting this proposal foradirective ,"the "Commission departments
have given full consideration totheopinions oftheMember State
experts expressed atameeting oftheWorking Party onMotor Vehicles
held on7–9November 1979 *Consequently theproposed requirements
gobeyond theinitial French draft but aredesigned toregulate at
Community level everything concerning rear–view mirrors for two–or
three-wheeled vehicles .Themain aim ofthis proposal isnot only
toremove barriers tointra-Community trade but also andabove all
greatly toincrease road safety .Themandatory fitting ofoneortwo
reai^-view mirrors tothese types ofvehicles isintended tofacilitate
visibility totherear and tothe side and thus greatly reduce the
number ofaccidents .Theobligation tofit one or.tworear -view mirrors
tothese vehicles will increase the cost ofthevehicle byaround
which ,inview oftheconsequent reduction inaccidents ,isan
insignificant capital sumincomparison with the costs that would have
been incurred bytheaccidents that itwill prevent .
II.COMMENTS ONTHE PROPOSAL FOR ADIRECTIVE
Thescope isaswide aspossible ,i.e. itembraces alltwo–orthree -
wheeled vehicles ,with orwithout acab ,fitted with anengine ,
intended foruseontheroad andhaving amaximum design speed of
more than 25km/h(Article l).
Articles 2,3,5,6and7incorporate inthe "national type approval "
procedure iieach Member State or,ifthere isnosuch procedure ,inthe
national provisions concerning registration ,sale ,entry into service ,
oruse ofthese vehicles ,theCommunity requirements concerning reaj>-view
mirrors for two–orthree –wheeled vehicles .
Article 4contains provisions onthenumber ofrear–view mirrors ,their
design andwhere tofitthem onthevehicle .

-3-
With regard tothe ,number ,ofrear-view narrors ,.'tWo-wheelad vehicles
with aaaximu® design speed notexceeding 80km/h'will have to "be
fitted with onerear -view mirror mounted -ontheleft ofthevehi cle
inMember States'where traffic moves ortfcsright andontheright'
ofthevehicle inMember States where traffic moves ontheleft ,"while .
two–wheeled vehicles with amaximum design sp>3eaexceeding 80-km/h .
andallthree-wheeled vehicles willhave to'have tworear-view mirrors ,;
oneontheright andtheother ontheleft ofthevehicle .Thespeed
limit selected ,80km/h,more orless corresponds totheexisting
classification insome Member States (e.g. 80km/hinGermany and •
75km/hinFrance )andis .inline with safety considerations .Athigh
speeds ,wind isahindrance toadriver whotries toturn hishead
when wearing acrash helmet anditisalso advisable athigh speeds
tohave tworear-view mirrors toensure that thewind acts symmetrically
onthe .handlebars . - ,
Although t*1®design requirements are the same asalready laid down
1bythedirective onrear-view mirrors formotor vehicles ,itwasnot
•• '' "• < - ■ , ■ '
possible here tolaydown conditions concerning thefield ofvision
fortwo-wheeled vehicles :inview oftherotating movements ofthe
handlebars andtheangle atwhich these vehicles take curves ,itwould -.
have keen pointless todefine requirements that could only have teen
verified andproperly observed when thevehicle wasstationary .
Article 8lays down theprocedure foradapting totechnical progress
therequirements inArticle 4andthedata intheAnnex . . ."'
Finally ,Article 9stipulates thefinal date bywhich Member States
areobliged toputinto force the ^provisions needed inorder tocomply
with thedirective . _ :
A
Directive 71/127/eEC(OJNoL68of22.3*1971 )»asamended byDirective
79/795/EEC (OJNoL239of22.9.1979 ).

~4~
III .CONSULTATION OFTOE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE •
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE
Pursuant totheprovisions ofArticle 100(2 ),theopinion ofthese two
"bodies isrequired .

-5-
THECOUNCILOPTHEEUROPEANCOMMUNITIES ,
?Havingregard"totheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity,
andinparticularArticle100thereof; -
••' - ,' (. ' -
HavingregardtotheproposalfromtheCommission^
HavingregardtotheopinionoftheEuropean -Parliament ;.
HavingregardtotheopinionoftheEconomicandSocialCommittee;
Whereastherequirements whichtwo–orthree–wheeledvehiclesmust
-satisfypursuanttonationallawsrelate,interalia,totheir.
rear-viewmirrors; ■■
* - .
Whereastheserequirements ,whetheralreadyinforceormerelyindraft,differfro
oneMemberStatetoanother;whereasitisthereforenecessarythatall
MemberStatesadoptthesamerequirements eitherinadditiontoor
inplaceoftheirexistingrequirements ;
Whereastheincreasednumbersanduseoftwo-andthree–wheeledvehicles
increasetheriskofroadaccidents;'whereasitisthereforenecessary
toimproveroadsafetybyrequiringthesevehiclestobefittedwithone
ortworear-viewmirrorsdesignedtogiveaviewtotherearandtothe
sidesofthevehicle; 1
Whereastheapproximation ofnationallawsontwo–orthree–wheeled
vehicles^necessitates reciprocalrecognitionbyMemberStatesofthechecks
carriedoutbyeachofthemonthebasisofthecommonrequirements ;.
HASADOPTEDTHISDIRECTIVE :
Article 1
Forthepurposesofthisdirective,"vehicle"meansanytwo–or
three–wheeledvehicle,withorwithoutacab,fittedwithanengine,
intendedforuseontheroadandhavingamaximum "designspeedof
morethan25km/h.

Article 2
Forthepurposes ofthis Directive "national type approval "means the
administrative procedure known as:
–agreation partype/aarmeming ,inBelgian law,
-standardtypegodkendelse ,inDanish law ,
-allgemeine Betrietserlaubnis ,inGerman law .
-reception partype ,inPrench law ,
–type approval ,inIrish law ,
-omologazione orapprovazione deltipo ,inItalian law ,
–agreation ,inLuxembourg law ,
–.typegoedkeuringy inDutch law ,
-type approval ,inUnited Kingdom law.
Article 3
At .-therequest ofa.manufacturer orhisauthorized representative ,Member
States •shall check that atype ofvehicle complies with the
provisions of Article 4(l)r (2)and (3)0Hoapplication inrespect of
anyonetype ofvehicle may "besubmitted tomore than oneMember State .
Article 4
1.Alltwo-wheeled vehicles with amaximum aesign speed notexceeding
80km/hshall "befitted with arear-view mirror .This reai^-view
mirror shall besituated onthe left ofthe vehicle inMember States
where traffic moves onthe right andontheright ofthevehicle in
Member States where traffic moves onthe left ,
2.Alltwo-wheeled vehicles with amaximum design speed exceeding 80'km/h
and allthree-wheeled vehicles shall beequipped with tworear–view
mirrors ,oneonthe left and oneonthe right ofthevehicle .
3.Therear-view mirrors ofallvehicles shall comply with therequirements
1 . ..... .._ 2ofDirective 71/127/EEC asLast amended byDirective 79/795/EEC .However
therequirements concerning field ofvision shall notapply totwo-wheeled
vehicles .
OJiïoL68,22.3.1971 ,p.1 .
20JNoL239.22.9.1979 .

4»When thechecks have teen completed ,theMember State shall issue a •
rear-view mirror certificate for "thevehicle ,hereinafter called
%
"thecertificate ",using themodel given intheAnnex andspecifying
inparticular vhether ornotthetype ofvehicle complies with the
provisions ofthis Directive .
5.Every Member State haVing issued acertificate that atype o"f A
•vehicle complies with theprovisions ofthis Directive shall take
thenecessary measures toverify ,insofar asisnecessary andif
need "beincooperation with thecompetent authorities ofother
Member States ,that production models conform tothetype forwhich
the certificate was issued .Such verification shall -belimited to
spot checks . _
Article 5
The competent authorities of a..Member State shall send within one
month tothe competent authorities' "oftheother Member' States acopy of
the certificates foreach type ofvehicle which they have
checked .Thieapplicant shall also beissued with acopy ofthe
certificate .Theother Member State shall .treat this document as .proof '
that the provisions ofthis Directive are met .
Article 6 ..
1.Inthose Member States where •,vehicles orcertain categories ;•
thereof jaresubject tonational type approval ,that approval shall "
bebased ontheprovisions ofthis Directive instead ofthe
'corresponding national requirements ifthemanufacturer orhis
authorized representative sorequests . -
2.NoMember State where ''vehicles orcertain categories thereof
arenotsubject tonational type approval mayrefuse theregistration
orprohibit the sale ,entry into service oruseofsuch vehicles on
-thegrounds that theprovisions ,ofthis Directive have been ■
complied with instead ofthecorresponding national requirements .
Article 7
1.Every Member State having issued acertificate that atype ofvehicle
•complies with theprovisions ofthis Directive shall take thenecessary

measures toensure that itisinformed ofanymochf ication tothe
type ofvehicle .
2.Ifthe State inquestion considers that such amodification does not
involve anycharge inthedata onthebasis ofwhich thecertificate
wasissued ,,thecompetent authorities ofthat State shall soinform the
manufacturer orhis authorized representative .
3.If,however ,,theState inquestion finds that amodification warrants
fresh checks andthat itisaccordingly necessary toamend the
existing certificate orcomplete afresh certificate ,thecompetent
authorities ofthat State shall soinform themanufacturer orhis
authorized agent / andshall ,within onemonth .'from thedate
onwhich thenewdocuments aredrawn up,forward these documents
tothecompetent authorities oftheother Member States ,together with
anote ofthe'frame number ofthe last vehicle manufactured inconformity
with theoldcertificate and,where appropriate ,oftheframe number of
the first vehicle manufactured inconformity wit-h theamended ornew
certificate .
Article 8
Α
Anyamendments necessary toadapt totechnical progress therequirements of
Article 4(1), (2)and (3)andoftheAnnex hereto shall beadopted in
accordance with theprocedure provided forinArticle 13of
'"1■ •I ^• • "IADirective 70/156/EEC ,aslast amended byDirective 78/547/EEC .
Article 9
1.Kember States shall put into force the provisions needed inorder
tocomply with this Directive "before 1October 1981 andshall forthwith
inform the Commission thereof .
2.Member States shall communicate totheCommission thetexts ofthe -main
provisions ofnational lawwhich they adopt inthefield covered bythis
Directive .
OJNoL42,23.2.1970 ,p.1.
0JHoL168 .26.6.1978 ,p.39

*Article10
ThisDirectiveisaddressedtotheMemberStates.•
DoneatBrussels
FortheCouncil
ThePresident

ANTTEX
MOSEL
Nameofadministration
REAR–VIEW MIRRORSFORTOO-ORTHREE-WHEELED VEHICLES '-
CERTIFICATE
(inaccordancewithCouncilDirective80/.../EEContheapproximation of
thelawsoftheMemberStatesonrear-viewmirrorsfortwo-orthree-wheeled
vehicles)
Drawnuponthe"basisof: .
ReportNo.......... nameofexaminingbody Date••...•
(*) (*)1.Two-/three–wheeledvehicle,without/withcab
1.1Manufacturer :,•••,
1.1.1Authorizedagent:
1.2.Type:.............
1.3.Model:
1.3*1Version:
1.4i^auieKo.i......
*)2.Engine:
2.1Manufacturer :
2.2Type:
2.3.Model:
2*4Maximumoutput(indicatestandardused):.......kWat.......r/min
»
2.5Maximumdesignspeed: .km/h
3.Rear-viewmirror(s)
3.1Number:
3.2Manufacturer :
3.2.1Authorizedagentofthemanufacturerifapplicable :
3.3Model:
3*4TYpe:
3*5Typeapprovalnumber:
Deleteasappropriate :

-2-
ΑΪΓΤΓΕΧ -
4«Thetypeofvehicleconforms/doesnotconform*"withtherequirements
ofDirective80/..««/EEC
5.Place:
6.Date:
7.Signature:
*Deleteasappropriate .