Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the retrofitting of mirrors to heavy goods vehicles registered in the Community {SEC(2006) 1238} {SEC(2006) 1239}
Date: 2006-10-05
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: commercial vehicle, road safety, safety device, technical regulations

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 5.10.2006 
COM(2006) 570 final 

2006/0183(COD) 

Proposal for a 

DIRECTIVE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL  

on the retrofitting of mirrors to heavy goods vehicles registered in the Community 

{SEC(2006) 1238} 
{SEC(2006) 1239} 

(presented by the Commission) 

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EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

1 

CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL 

Grounds for and objectives of the proposal 

The  proposal  for  a  directive  aims  at  improving  the  safety  of  road  users,  in  particular 
vulnerable  road  users  such  as  pedestrians,  cyclists  and  motorcyclists.  This  group  bears  a 
heavy  risk  of  being  involved  in  accidents  with  heavy  goods  vehicles,  which  have  a  lateral 
blind spot on the passenger's side. Legislation making an improved set of mirrors mandatory 
from 2006/2007 onwards for new heavy goods vehicles is already in place. However, existing 
trucks will remain in circulation without any improvement of their field of indirect vision. The 
Commission  proposes  to  extend  requirements  for  the  lateral  field  of  indirect  vision,  which 
currently only apply to new vehicles, to the existing fleet of heavy goods vehicles. 

General context 

A number of accidents are caused by drivers of larger vehicles who are not aware that other 
road users are very close or beside their own vehicle. These accidents are often related to a 
change  of  direction  at  crossings,  junctions  or  roundabouts  when  drivers  fail  to  detect  other 
road users in the blind spots which exist in the area immediately around their vehicles. It is 
estimated  that  in  Europe  every  year  about  400  people  are  killed  in  such  circumstances. 
Therefore,  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  adopted  Directive  2003/97/EC  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. According to this directive, in 2006 new vehicle types 
and  respectively  in  2007  new  vehicles  can  only  be  granted  approval  by  the  Member  States' 
authorities  if  they  are  equipped  with  a  set  of  mirrors  and  other  systems  of  indirect  vision 
fulfilling certain requirements in order to reduce their blind spots. 

For  several  Member  States  the  obligation  for  new  vehicles  and  new  vehicle  types  only,  not 
including  existing  vehicles,  was  not  far-reaching  enough.  Three  Member  States  -  the 
Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark - implemented therefore national schemes (legislation or 
tax  rebates  or  other  financial  incentives)  for  the  retrofitting  of  certain  vehicle  categories 
causing  a  particular  danger  in  this  context,  i.e.  heavy  goods  vehicles.  In  addition,  these 
Member States encouraged the Commission to initiate relevant legislation at EU level. This 
was also welcomed by a number of other Member States 

Existing provisions in the area of the proposal 

European legislation on the type approval of systems for indirect vision dates back to 1971. 
The first Directive 71/127/EEC was progressively amended by a number of directives adding 
more and advanced mirrors and extending its scope to other vehicle categories. The directive 
laid  down  requirements  on  how  rear  view  mirrors  should  be  fitted  on  vehicles  and  their 
construction. National requirements remained nevertheless untouched by this directive. Only 
in 2003, a new directive, 2003/97/EC, repealing Directive 71/127/EEC, made a set of mirrors 
or other systems for indirect vision exclusively mandatory. 

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Directive 2003/97/EC has been amended by Commission directive 2005/27/EC to extend the 
general requirement for fitting Class IV and Class V mirrors down to vehicles weighing 3.5 
tonnes instead of the previous 7.5 tonnes.  

Consistency with other policies and objectives of the Union 

In its White Paper titled "European transport policy for 2010:  time to decide" the European 
Commission set the target of halving the number of road fatalities by 2010. In its third Road 
Safety  Action  Programme  the  Commission  committed  itself  to  investigate  the  issue  of 
retrofitting  heavy  vehicles  already  in  circulation  with  devices  for  indirect  vision  to  reduce 
their blind spots. 

In December 2005, the CARS 21 High Level Group adopted a 10 year roadmap for a 
competitive EU car industry. With regard to road safety, the group recommended an 
integrated approach involving vehicle technology, infrastructure and the road user. This 
integrated approach included the compulsory introduction of new safety features, among 
others the improvement of heavy goods vehicles' blind spots.  

2 

CONSULTATION OF INTERESTED PARTIES AND IMPACT ASSESSMENT 

Consultation of interested parties 

Consultation methods, main sectors targeted and general profile of respondents 

Stakeholders  were  consulted  during  the  cost-benefit  study  by  the  contractor  of  the  study  in 
2004. Their comments have been taken into account in the study report. 

A public stakeholder consultation was launched in 2006 via Internet. Most of the respondents 
of this consultation had already been contacted during the study. 

•  10  of  these  replies  come  from  manufacturers  of  vehicle  equipment  with  mirrors  or  other 

devices to improve the field of indirect vision; 

•  8 come from road safety organisations, including one Member of the European Parliament 

•  6 from national and international haulage associations (DK, NL, BE, ES, UK, IRU) 

•  7  from  national  or  regional  governments  (CY,  DE,  EL,  NL,  FI,  NO,  Baden-

Württemberg/German Land) 

•  2  from  manufacturers  and  manufacturers'  associations  (ACEA  and  a  manufacturer  who 

modifies Volvo trucks) 

•  3 user associations (FEMA/motorcyclists, FIVA/historic vehicles; ECF/cyclists) 

2Summary of responses and how they have been taken into account 

The replies in general acknowledged the benefits of retrofitting of devices increasing the field 
of  indirect  vision.  They  differed  with  regard  to  the  approach  and  the  scope  of  such  an 
initiative. Some stakeholders would prefer a voluntary retrofitting, a smaller field of vision or 

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a  larger  variety  of  options  to  achieve  this  field  of  vision.  Others  wanted  to  apply  all 
requirements of the directive for new vehicles to more vehicle types or to older vehicles.  

The  Commission  has  considered  all  these  comments  carefully.  A  purely  voluntary  initiative 
does  not  guarantee  the  expected  results.  Further,  the  Commission  foresees  a  simple  and 
straightforward  solution,  minimising  costs  and  maximising  benefits.  The  solutions  proposed 
by  many  commentators  would  possibly  be  beneficial  for  their  stakeholders,  but  at  the 
detriment  of  the  overall  effectiveness  of  the  proposal.  Finally,  and  most  importantly,  the 
Commission took note that all comments of vulnerable users, the target group of this measure, 
were  overwhelmingly  positive.  Further  details  of  the  results  of  the  stakeholder  consultation 
can be found in the Impact Assessment, accompanying this proposal. 

An open consultation was conducted over the internet from 12/04/2006 to 24/05/2006. The 
Commission received 36 response(s). The results are available on 
http://ec.europa.eu/transport/road/roadsafety/index_en.htm. 

Collection and use of expertise 

Scientific/expertise domains concerned 

Market survey, Cost-Benefit Analysis 

Methodology used 

Study contract 

Main organisations/experts consulted 

National governments, mirror manufacturers, vehicle manufacturers, Road Safety Institutes 

Summary of advice received and used 

The  stakeholder  consultation  did  not  bring  forward  potentially  serious  risks  of  the  proposal 
with irreversible consequences. 

The  hauliers  suggested  accompanying  awareness  raising  campaigns  both  for  drivers  and 
vulnerable road users, a recommendation which was included in the directive. Furthermore, it 
was  stated  that  some  Member  States'  vehicle  fleets  have  a  higher  average  age  than  others. 
Therefore,  Member  States  are  free  to  extend  the  scope  of  the  directive  to  vehicles  over  10 
years. 

2Means used to make the expert advice publicly available 

The cost-benefit study was published on the EUROPA and can be downloaded: 
http://ec.europa.eu/transport/road/publications/projectfiles/mirrors_en.htm 

•  230Impact assessment 

The  "do  nothing"  option  means  missing  a  window  of  opportunity  to  save  lives  with  a 
straightforward and not overly expensive measure. The retrofitting exercise makes only sense 
if it is finalised before the whole HGV fleet is replaced by new HGV which have mirror sets 

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in  line  with  Directive  2003/97/EC.  It  can  be  estimated  that  this  is  the  case  after  2020.  The 
impact of a retrofitting directive is limited in time and decreasing every year. 

The application of the full set of requirements of Directive 2003/97/EC for the lateral field of 
vision to all HGV (>3.5 tonnes) is the second option. Considering the overall vehicle fleet, it 
can  be  assumed  that  this  measure  is  highly  cost-beneficial.  However,  it  is  expected  that  the 
installation  of  the  required  devices  might  differ  between  different  vehicle  types.  For  some 
vehicle  types,  in  particular  older  ones,  the  application  of  the  full  set  of  requirements  of 
Directive 2003/97/EC may require substantial modifications in the cabin structure due to the 
higher  wind  loads  of  larger  mirrors.  This  may  cause  substantial  costs  in  the  order  of 
magnitude of a coupe of thousands of Euros. 

A  third  option  is  therefore  to  apply  a  differentiated  set  of  requirements  on  the  basis  of 
Directive  2003/97/EC  for  the  lateral  field  of  vision  to  all  HGV.  For  more  than  50%  of  the 
HGV  circulating  on  Europe's  roads,  it  is  possible  to  replace  the  old  mirror  glasses  by  new 
ones  which  are  in  conformity  with  Directive  2003/97/EC  and  cover  the  required  field  of 
indirect  vision.  Another  25%  could  be  equipped  with  new  glasses  if  the  requirements  for 
retrofitting  with  regard  to  the  field  of  vision  are  slightly  reduced  (>99%).  The  costs  for  the 
retrofitting  in  these  cases  are  normally  below  150  €.  Most  of  the  remaining  20-25%  can  be 
retrofitted  with  new  mirrors  at  higher  yet  reasonable  costs.  In  some  cases  (<10%),  it  is 
permitted  to  install  additional  devices  to  cover  at  least  the  field  of  vision  of  Directive 
2003/97/EC. This might be the case if exchanging mirrors required substantial changes in the 
cabin structure or if there is no mirror available which would fulfil the requirements.  

3 

LEGAL ELEMENTS OF THE PROPOSAL 

Summary of the proposed action 

The  objective  of  this  Directive  is  to  improve  the  field  of  indirect  vision  of  existing  heavy 
goods vehicles and help saving lives on Europe's roads. Since improving the field of indirect 
vision  of  existing  heavy  goods  vehicles  involves  technical  modifications  in  an  already 
approved  and  legally  authorised  system,  particular  attention  is  given  to  the  technical 
feasibility and the economic efficiency of a retrofitting. 

For the time being, there is no technical solution which can cover 100% of the area around a 
vehicle at ground level. This is the case for passenger vehicles and even more for heavy goods 
vehicles. Furthermore, although mirrors are an excellent means to cover the fields of indirect 
vision, which is in use practically since automobiles exist, there are physical limits for certain 
areas, e.g. behind a heavy goods vehicles.  

The  most  important  constraint  is  the  limited  ability  of  the  driver  to  gather,  perceive  and 
process different information while moving. Already with the current set of mirrors a driver of 
a left-hand driven truck performing a right turn, besides watching out ahead and to the left, 
has  to  look  in  two  rear  mirrors  on  the  right  side  and  one  close  proximity  mirror  above  the 
right door. In a truck built after 2007, there will be an additional frontal mirror to cover also 
the area directly in front of the vehicle at ground level. 

Additional electronic systems to cover the so-called blind spots, which would, especially on 
existing  vehicles,  require  considerable  structural  modifications  and  incur  significant  costs, 
will  most  likely  not  play  a  major  role  for  retrofitting.  However,  if  these  systems  are  in 

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conformity  with  the  requirements  of  Directive  2003/97/EC,  they  may  be  installed.  The 
technical  approach  of  the  directive  for  new  vehicles,  which  can  be  considered  to  be  the 
current state of art, is the frame of reference for any possible retrofitting exercise. 

From a cost-benefit point of view it does not make sense to apply the full set of requirements 
for  new  vehicles  also  to  existing  vehicles.  Retrofitting  light  good  vehicles  or  buses  with 
mirrors  or  cameras  has  a  benefit-cost  ratio  which  is  in  all  the  cases  far  below  1.  For  heavy 
good  vehicles,  the  benefit-cost  ratio  is  only  higher  than  1  in  the  case  of  the  lateral  field  of 
indirect vision. On the basis of the results of the cost-benefit analysis, only the scenario heavy 
goods vehicles/side-view is considered. 

In order to make most use of the closing window of opportunity (the benefit of the measure 
decreases over time), to let manufacturers cope with the demand and to give owners of older 
trucks  more  flexibility,  it  makes  sense  to  foresee  a  progressive  implementation  of  this 
retrofitting  directive.  Heavy  goods  vehicles  registered  after  2004  have  to  be  retrofitted  one 
year  after  entry  into  force  of  the  directive,  heavy  goods  vehicles  registered  after  2001  two 
years and heavy goods vehicles registered after 1998 three years after entry into force at the 
latest. 

Cost-effectiveness is the underlying principle of this proposal. With regard to enforcement of 
the  requirements  of  this  directive,  Member  States  are  requested  to  provide  reliable  and 
effective,  and  in  some  cases  flexible  control  procedures,  to  make  sure  that  all  vehicles 
registered in their country comply with these requirements. For the majority of vehicles, the 
retrofitting can be done at reasonable costs and with devices which are already available on 
the market. In some cases, retrofitting may be technically more difficult. In particular in these 
cases,  Member  States  should  provide  for  flexibility  and  case-by-case  solutions  for  the 
inspection authority to grant approval for alternative solutions. 

Some Member States have already taken measures at national level to increase the lateral field 
of  indirect  vision  for  drivers  of  heavy  goods  vehicles  in  addition  to  the  requirements 
according to European legislation in force. These approaches do not or not fully comply with 
the technical approach of Directive 2003/97/EC. Nevertheless, the result, sufficient coverage 
of  the  lateral  blind  spot,  may  also  be  achieved  through  these  approaches.  Therefore,  the 
directive  gives  an  exemption  to  heavy  goods  vehicles  registered  in  these  countries,  i.e.  the 
Netherlands,  Denmark  and  Belgium,  which  have  been  equipped  with  systems  for  indirect 
vision  in  compliance  with  the  national  schemes  before  this  directive  comes  into  force. 
Nevertheless,  all  Member  States  have  to  make  sure  that  all  heavy  goods  vehicles  that  are 
retrofitted after entry into force of this directive are retrofitted with systems for indirect vision 
in compliance with it. 

Furthermore, vehicles registered more than 10 years before entry into force of this directive 
are exempt from this directive. It is likely that the costs to retrofit older vehicles would be 
higher than the expected benefits the latter obviously decreasing with the remaining time until 
scraping of the vehicle. 

Legal basis 

The measure is proposed on the basis of Article 71 of the EC Treaty. 

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Subsidiarity principle 

The subsidiarity principle applies insofar as the proposal does not fall under the exclusive 
competence of the Community. 

The objectives of the proposal cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States for the 
following reasons. 

With Directive 2003/97/EC, mirrors are harmonised at European level. Retrofitting initiatives 
at Member State level would only concern vehicles registered in the relevant Member State. 
Heavy goods vehicles are highly involved in European or even international traffic. A purely 
national solution would not be satisfying. 

A national retrofitting obligation could also be considered as a barrier to trade, especially 
since there is harmonised European legislation in place. A common European approach on the 
retrofitting provides for a level playing field in a highly competitive European road transport 
market. 

Community action will better achieve the objectives of the proposal for the following reasons. 

A common European obligation has economy-of-scale advantages. It prohibits different 
technical solutions at national level which may cause problems when old trucks are sold to 
other European countries, which have different requirements. 

European legislation will reduce the number of blind spot accidents involving heavy goods 
vehicles registered in another EU country.  

Heavy goods vehicles are the vehicle category which is most often involved in international 
traffic. This should be the first vehicle category to be considered for European harmonisation 
of requirements. 

The proposal therefore complies with the subsidiarity principle. 

Proportionality principle 

The proposal complies with the proportionality principle for the following reasons. 

Whereas the technical approach is prescribed in detail, the directive leaves plenty of room to 
the Member States to create their own schemes how to ensure compliance.  

The preferred option leaves a large margin of manoeuvre to the Member States in order to 
find the most cost-effective means to transpose the directive in terms of enforcement and 
control procedures. 

Choice of instruments 

Proposed instruments: directive. 

Other means would not be adequate for the following reasons. 

The alternative to a legal obligation is awareness campaigns and voluntary agreements of the 
sector. Since the retrofitting exercise makes only sense within a certain window of 

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opportunity (about 4 to 6 years from 2007 on), a voluntary agreement of the haulage sector 
does not seem to be appropriate. Furthermore, the haulage sector is apparently not in a 
position to make such a commitment. Awareness campaigns seem to be successful in the short 
term. They should accompany the introduction of mirrors. 

4 

BUDGETARY IMPLICATION 

The proposal has no implication for the Community budget. 

5 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 

Simulation, pilot phase and transitory period 

There was or there will be a transitory period for the proposal. 

Correlation table 

The  Member  States  are  required  to  communicate  to  the  Commission  the  text  of  national 
provisions  transposing  the  Directive  as  well  as  a  correlation  table  between  those  provisions 
and this Directive. 

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2006/0183(COD) 

Proposal for a 

DIRECTIVE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL  

on the retrofitting of mirrors to heavy goods vehicles registered in the Community 

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 
71(1)(c) thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission1, 

Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee2, 

Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions3, 

Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty4, 

Whereas: 

(1) 

(2) 

A  number  of  accidents  are  caused  by  drivers  of  heavy  goods  vehicles  who  are  not 
aware that other road users are very close or beside their vehicle. These accidents are 
often  related  to  a  change  of  direction  at  crossings,  junctions  or  roundabouts  when 
drivers  fail  to  detect  other  road  users  in  the  blind  spots  which  exist  in  the  area 
immediately around their vehicles. It is estimated that every year about 400 people are 
killed  in  such  circumstances,  most  of  them  being  vulnerable  road  users  such  as 
cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians. 

In its White Paper of 12 September 2001 "European transport policy for 2010: time to 
decide"5  the  Commission  set  the  target  of  halving  the  number  of  road  fatalities  by 
2010. In its third Road Safety Action Programme6 the Commission committed itself to 
investigating the issue of retrofitting heavy goods vehicles already in circulation with 
devices  for  indirect  vision  to  reduce  their  blind  spots  and  thus  to  contribute  to  the 
reduction of road fatalities.  

(3) 

In  its  10  year  roadmap  in  the  Final  Report  ”A  Competitive  Automotive  Regulatory 
System  for  the  21st  century”  the  CARS  21  High  Level  Group  recommended  an 
integrated approach with regard to road safety including the compulsory introduction 

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6 

OJ C , , p. . 
OJ C , , p. . 
OJ C , , p. . 
OJ C , , p. . 
COM(2001)370 final. 
COM(2003)311 final. 

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(4) 

(5) 

(6) 

(7) 

(8) 

of  new  safety  features,  such  as  mirrors  to  reduce  the  blind  spots  of  heavy  goods 
vehicles. 

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/EEC7  whilst  having 
great  potential  for  reducing  the  number  of  casualties  affects  only  newly  registered 
vehicles. 

It follows for vehicles which are already in circulation that they are not subject to the 
obligations  set  out  in  Directive  2003/97/EC.  It  can  be  estimated  that  those  vehicles 
will not be fully replaced until 2023.  

In  order  to  help  reduce  road  fatalities  caused  by  those  vehicles  and  involving 
vulnerable road users, it is appropriate, in the meantime, to provide that the vehicles 
concerned be retrofitted with improved devices for indirect vision. 

Such existing vehicles should be equipped with mirrors reducing the lateral blind spots 
whilst  fulfilling  the  technical  requirements  of  Directive  2003/97/EC.  That  is 
technically feasible for the majority of the vehicles concerned. 

It is however appropriate and proportionate to provide exemptions for vehicles whose 
remaining  lifespan  is  short,  vehicles  which  are  equipped  with  lateral  mirrors  whose 
field  of  vision  covers  only  marginally  less  than  the  fields  of  vision  laid  down  in 
Directive  2003/97/EC,  and  vehicles  which  it  is  technically  impossible  to  equip  with 
mirrors complying with that Directive.  

(9) 

In  order  to  let  the  market  cope  with  a  very  high  demand  for  mirrors  in  a  very  short 
period of time transitional periods should be provided for. 

(10)  Heavy goods vehicles retrofitted before entry into force of Directive 2003/97/EC with 
devices  of  indirect  vision  which  largely  cover  the  field  of  vision  required  in  that 
directive should be exempted from the requirements of this legislation. 

(11)  The  retrofitting  exercise  should  be  accompanied  by  measures  designed  to  raise 
awareness  of  the  dangers  linked  to  the  existence  of  blind  spots  of  heavy  goods 
vehicles. 

(12)  Since  the  objectives  of  the  action  to  be  taken  namely  the  retrofitting  of  existing 
vehicles  in  circulation  in  the  Community  cannot  be  sufficiently  achieved  by  the 
Member States and can therefore, by reason of the scale and effects of the action, be 
better  achieved  at  Community  level,  the  Community  may  adopt  measures,  in 
accordance  with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of  the Treaty. In 
accordance  with  the  principle  of  proportionality,  as  set  out  in  that  Article,  this 
directive does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve those objectives, 

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OJ  L  25,  29.1.2004,  p.1.  Directive  as  amended  by  Commission  Directive  2005/27/EC  (OJ  L  81, 
30.3.2005, p. 44.) 

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HAVE ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE: 

Article 1 

This Directive lays  down requirements  for the  equipment with systems of indirect  vision of 
vehicles  of  category  N2  and  N3  as  referred  to  in  Council  Directive  70/156/EEC  which  are 
registered in the Community. 

Article 2 

1. 

2. 

This Directive shall apply to vehicles of categories N2 and N3 as referred to in point 2 
of Annex II to Directive 70/156/EC which are not covered by Directive 2003/97/EC8. 

This Directive shall not apply to any of the following: 

(a)  Vehicles of categories N2 and N3 registered more than 10 years before the date 

set out in Article 7; 

(b)  Vehicles of categories N2 and N3 where it is impossible to mount class IV and 
class V mirrors in a way that ensures that the following conditions are fulfilled: 

(i) 

no  parts  of  the  mirrors  are  less  than  2 m  (±10  cm)  from  the  ground, 
regardless  of  the  adjustment  position,  when  the  vehicle  is  under  a  load 
corresponding to its maximum technically permissible weight; 

(ii) 

the mirrors are fully visible from the driving position. 

(c)  Vehicles  of  categories  N2  and  N3  that  were  subject,  prior  to  the  entry  into 
force of Directive 2003/97/EC, to national measures requiring fitment of other 
means of indirect vision covering not less than 95% of the total field of vision 
at ground level of the class IV and the class V mirror under that Directive. 

Article 3  

With  effect  from  the  date  set  out  in  Article  7  Member  States  shall  ensure  that  all  vehicles 
referred  to  in  Article  2(1)  are  equipped,  on  the  passenger’s  side,  with  close  proximity  and 
large  angle  mirrors  which  fulfil  the  requirements  for  class  IV  and  class  V  mirrors  under 
Directive 2003/97/EC respectively. 

By  way  of  derogation  from  the  first  paragraph  compliance  with  the  requirements  of  this 
Directive  shall  be  deemed  to  be  achieved  where  vehicles  are  equipped  with  mirrors,  whose 
combination of field of vision covers not less than 99% of the total field of vision at ground 
level of the class IV and the class V mirror under Directive 2003/97/EC. 

8 

OJ  L  42,  23.2.1970,  p.1.  Directive  as  last  amended  by  Directive  2006/40/EC  of  the  European 
Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 161, 14.6.2006, p. 12.) 

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Article 4  

By way of derogation from the first paragraph of Article 3 Member States may provide the 
following: 

(1)  Vehicles registered from 4 to 7 years before the date set out in Article 7 shall 
comply  with  the  requirements  of  this  Directive  at  the  latest  1  year  after  that 
date; 

(2)  Vehicles registered from 7 to 10 years before the date set out in Article 7 shall 
comply  with  the  requirements  of  this  Directive  at  the  latest  2  years  after  that 
date. 

Article 5  

Vehicles of categories N2 and N3 which, by reason of the lack of available technical solutions, 
cannot  be  equipped  with  mirrors  which  comply  with  this  Directive  may  be  equipped  with 
other  devices  of  indirect  vision,  provided  that  such  devices  cover  at  least  the  same  field  of 
vision as set out in the second paragraph of Article 3. 

Vehicles retrofitted in accordance with the first subparagraph shall be individually approved 
by the competent authorities of the Member States. 

Member  States  shall  accompany  measures  under  this  Directive  by  initiatives  to  raise 
awareness of the dangers for road users arising from vehicle blind spots. 

Article 6  

Article 7  

1. 

Member  States  shall  bring  into  force  the  laws,  regulations  and  administrative 
provisions necessary to comply with this Directive by [one year after entry into force 
of the Directive] 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. 

2. 

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

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

Article 8 

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Article 9 

This Directive is addressed to the Member States. 

Done at Brussels, 

For the European Parliament 
The President 

For the Council 
The President 

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