Commission Directive 2005/27/EC of 29 March 2005 amending, for the purposes of its adaptation to technical progress, Directive 2003/97/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, concerning the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the type-approval of devices for indirect vision and of vehicles equipped with these devicesText with EEA relevance
Date: 2005-03-29
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Community certification, approval, approximation of laws, commercial vehicle, motor vehicle, safety device, technical standard

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Official Journal of the European Union

30.3.2005

COMMISSION DIRECTIVE 2005/27/EC

of 29 March 2005

amending, for the purposes of its adaptation to technical progress, Directive 2003/97/EC of the
European Parliament and of the Council, concerning the approximation of the laws of the Member
States relating to the type-approval of devices for indirect vision and of vehicles equipped with
these devices

(Text with EEA relevance)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty
Community,

establishing the European

Having regard to Council Directive 70/156/EEC of 6 February
1970 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States
relating to the type-approval of motor vehicles and their
trailers (1), and in particular Article 13(2) thereof,

Having regard to Directive 2003/97/EC of
the European
Parliament and of the Council of 10 November 2003 on the
approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the
type-approval of devices for indirect vision and of vehicles
equipped with these devices, amending Directive 70/156/EEC
and repealing Directive 71/127/EEC (2)
and in particular
Article 2 thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

Directive 2003/97/EC is one of the separate Directives in
the context of the Community type-approval procedure
under Directive 70/156/EEC. The provisions of Directive
70/156/EEC relating
and
separate technical units for vehicles therefore apply to
Directive 2003/97/EC.

to systems,

components

In order to reduce the blind spot of N2 vehicles of mass
is necessary to modify
not exceeding 7,5 tonnes,
certain requirements laid down in Directive 2003/97/EC.

it

Since 2003, technical progress with regard to rear view
mirrors has advanced considerably. It is now possible to
install wide-angle rear-view mirrors on some N2 vehicles
of mass not exceeding 7,5 tonnes. It is therefore appro-
priate to amend Directive 2003/97/EC by extending the
obligation to fit Class IV wide-angle mirrors to those

(1) OJ L 42, 23.2.1970, p. 1. Directive as last amended by Commission

Directive 2004/104/EC (OJ L 337, 13.11.2004, p. 13).

(2) OJ L 25, 29.1.2004, p. 1.

vehicles of category N2 having a cabin similar to that of
N3 vehicles. The appropriate criterion for distinguishing
the two types of N2 vehicles should be whether a class V
close-proximity mirror can be fitted.

Vehicles having seats with a fixed seat-back angle would
the standard requirements. A
not be able to fulfil
correction factor for such vehicles should therefore be
introduced.

It
is also appropriate to amend the administrative
provisions for type-approval by introducing the distin-
guishing numbers of the Member States which acceded
to the Community on 1 May 2004.

in this Directive are in
The measures provided for
accordance with the opinion of the Committee for Adap-
tation to Technical Progress set up under Article 13(1) of
Directive 70/156/EEC,

(4)

(5)

(6)

HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:

Article 1

Annexes I and III to Directive 2003/97/EC are amended in
accordance with the Annex to this Directive.

Article 2

1. Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations
and administrative provisions necessary to comply with this
Directive by 19 October 2005 at
the latest. They shall
forthwith communicate to the Commission the text of those
provisions and a correlation table between those provisions and
this Directive.

When Member States adopt those provisions, they shall contain
a reference to this Directive or be accompanied by such a
reference on the occasion of their official publication. Member
States shall determine how such reference is to be made.

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2. Member States shall communicate to the Commission the
main provisions of national law which they adopt in the field
covered by this Directive.

Article 4

This Directive is addressed to the Member States.

Article 3

This Directive shall enter into force on the twentieth day
following its publication in the Official Journal of the European
Union.

For the Commission

Günter VERHEUGEN
Vice-President

Done at Brussels, 29 March 2005.

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Annexes I and III to Directive 2003/97/EC are amended as follows:

ANNEX

1. In Annex I, item 1.1.1.12, after the first sentence, the following new sentence is inserted:

‘In the case of a seat with fixed seat-back angle, the location of the ocular points shall be adjusted in accordance with
the provisions of Appendix 7 to this Annex.’

2. In Appendix 5 to Annex I, the following is added to the enumeration of distinguishing numbers in point 1.1:

‘ “8 for the Czech Republic,”, “29 for Estonia,”, “49 for Cyprus, 32 for Latvia, 36 for Lithuania,”, “7 for Hungary, 50 for
Malta,”, “20 for Poland,”, “26 for Slovenia, 27 for Slovakia” ’.

3. In Annex I, the following Appendix 7 is added:

‘Appendix 7

Determination of the ocular points for a seat with a fixed seat-back angle

1. The position of the ocular points in relation to the R point shall be adjusted as indicated in the table below by X
coordinates from the three-dimensional reference grid. The table indicates the basic coordinates for a fixed seat-
back angle of 25 degrees. The three-dimensional reference grid for the coordinates is as defined in point 2.3 of
Annex I to Directive 77/649/EEC as amended.

Seat back angle

(in degrees)

25

Horizontal coordinates

ΔX

68 mm

2. Further correction for fixed seat-back angles other than 25

The table below indicates the further corrections, from the ocular position with a fixed seat-back angle of
25 degrees, to be made to the X and Z coordinates of the ocular points when the design seat-back angle is
not 25 degrees.

Seat-back angle

(in degrees)

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

Horizontal coordinates

Vertical coordinates

ΔX

– 186 mm
– 177 mm
– 167 mm
– 157 mm
– 147 mm
– 137 mm
– 128 mm
– 118 mm
– 109 mm
– 99 mm
– 90 mm
– 81 mm
– 72 mm
– 62 mm
– 53 mm

ΔZ

28 mm

27 mm

27 mm

27 mm

26 mm

25 mm

24 mm

23 mm

22 mm

21 mm

20 mm

18 mm

17 mm

15 mm

13 mm

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Seat-back angle

(in degrees)

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

Horizontal coordinates

Vertical coordinates

ΔX

– 44 mm
– 35 mm
– 26 mm
– 18 mm
– 9 mm

0 mm

9 mm

17 mm

26 mm

34 mm

43 mm

51 mm

59 mm

67 mm

76 mm

84 mm

92 mm

100 mm

108 mm

115 mm

123 mm

ΔZ

11 mm

9 mm

7 mm

5 mm

3 mm

0 mm
– 3 mm
– 5 mm
– 8 mm
– 11 mm
– 14 mm
– 18 mm
– 21 mm
– 24 mm
– 28 mm
– 32 mm
– 35 mm
– 39 mm
– 43 mm
– 48 mm
– 52 mm’

4. In the table in Annex III and in the cell for Class IV wide-angle mirrors for motor vehicles of category N2

text is replaced by the following:

≤ 7,5 t, the

‘Compulsory

For both sides if a Class V mirror can be fitted

Optional
For both sides together if not’;

5. In the table in Annex III and in the cell for Class V close-proximity mirrors for motor vehicles of category N2

the text is replaced by the following:

≤ 7,5 t,

‘Compulsory, see Annex III items 3.7 and 5.5.5
One on the passenger’s side

Optional
One on the driver’s side

(both must be fitted at least 2 m above the ground)

A tolerance of + 10 cm may be applied’.