Council Directive of 27 September 1977 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the field of vision of motor vehicle drivers (77/649/EEC)

• Published date: 19 October 1977
• Official Gazette Publication: Official Journal of the European Communities, L 267, 19 October 1977

1977L0649 — EN — 06.12.1990 — 003.001

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This document is meant purely as a documentation tool and the institutions do not assume any liability for its contents

►B COUNCIL DIRECTIVE of 27 September 1977 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the field of vision of motor vehicle drivers (77/649/EEC) (OJ L 267, 19.10.1977, p.1)

Amended by:

		Official Journal
		No	page	date
M1	Commission Directive 81/643/EEC of 29 July 1981	L 231	41	15.8.1981
►M2	Commission Directive 88/366/EEC of 17 May 1988	L 181	40	12.7.1988
►M3	Commission Directive 90/630/EEC of 30 October 1990	L 341	20	6.12.1990

Corrected by:

►C1 Corrigendum, OJ L 150, 6.6.1978, p. 6 (77/649)

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▼B

COUNCIL DIRECTIVE

of 27 September 1977

on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the field of vision of motor vehicle drivers

(77/649/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 field of vision of the driver;

Whereas these requirements differ from one Member State to another; whereas it is therefore necessary that all Member States adopt the same requirements, either in addition to or in place of their existing rules, in order, in particular, to allow the EEC type-approval procedure, which was the subject of 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, to be introduced in respect of each type of vehicle ( 3 );

Whereas it is desirable to draft the technical requirements so that they have the same aim as the work being carried out on the subject in the UN Economic Commission for Europe;

Whereas those requirements apply to motor vehicles in category M1 (the international classification of motor vehicles is given in Annex I to Directive 70/156/EEC);

Whereas the approximation of national laws relating to motor vehicles entails reciprocal recognition by Member States of the checks carried 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 (defined in Annex I to Directive 70/156/EEC) intended 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 grounds relating to the driver's field of vision if it satisfies the requirements set out in Annexes I, III and IV.

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 driver's field of vision if it satisfies the requirements set out in Annexes I, III and IV.

Article 4

The Member State which has granted type-approval shall take the measures required to ensure that it is informed of any modification of a part or characteristic referred to in section 2.2 of Annex I. The competent authorities of that State shall determine whether it is necessary to carry out further tests on the modified vehicle type and to prepare a new report. If these tests show that the requirements of this Directive have not been complied with, the modification shall not be authorized.

Article 5

Any amendments necessary to adapt the requirements of Annexes I, III, IV and V to technical progress shall be adopted in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 13 of Directive 70/156/EEC.

However, this procedure shall not apply to amendments introducing provisions relating to a field of vision other than 180° forward field of vision.

Article 6

1. Member States shall bring into force the provisions necessary in order to comply with this Directive within 18 months of its notification 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 this Directive are communicated to the Commission.

Article 7

This Directive is addressed to the Member States.

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List of Annexes

Annex I:	Scope, definitions, application for EEC type-approval, EEC type-approval, specifications, test procedure (1).
(Annex II)
Annex III:	Procedure for determining the ‘H’ point and the actual seat-back angle and for verifying the relative positions of the R and H points and the relationship between the design seat-back angle and the actual seat-back angle (1).
Appendix:	Figures 1 and 2.
Annex IV:	Method for determining the dimensional relationships between the vehicle's primary reference marks and the three-dimensional reference grid (1).
Appendix:	Figures 1 to 7
Annex V:	Annex to the EEC vehicle type-approval certificate with regard to the driver's field of vision.
(1) The technical requirements of this Annex are similar to those of the relevant UN Economic Commission for Europe draft Regulation; in particular the breakdown into sections is the same. Where a section of the draft Regulation has no counterpart in the Annexes to this Directive, the number is given in brackets for the record.

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ANNEX I

SCOPE, DEFINITIONS, APPLICATION FOR EEC TYPE-APPROVAL, EEC TYPE-APPROVAL, SPECIFICATIONS, TEST PROCEDURE

1. SCOPE

1.1. This Directive applies to the 180° forward field of vision of the drivers of vehicles in category M1. 1.1.1. Its purpose is to ensure an adequate field of vision when the windscreen and other glazed surfaces are dry and clean.

1.2. The requirements of this Directive are so worded as to apply to category M1 vehicles in which the driver is on the left. In category M1 vehicles in which the driver is on the right these requirements shall be applied by inverting the criteria where appropriate.

2. DEFINITIONS

(2.1.)

2.2. Vehicle type with regard to the field of vision

‘Vehicle type with regard to the field of vision’ means vehicles which do not differ in such essential respects as:

2.2.1. the external and internal forms and arrangements within the area specified in section 1 which may affect visibility; and

2.2.2. the shape and dimensions of the windscreen and its mounting.

2.3. Three-dimensional reference grid

‘Three-dimensional reference grid’ means a reference system which consists of a vertical longitudinal plane X-Z, a horizontal plane X-Y and a vertical transverse plane Y-Z (see Annex IV, Appendix, figure 5); the grid is used to determine the dimensional relationships between the position of design points on drawings and their position on the actual vehicle. The procedure for situating the vehicle relative to the grid is specified in Annex IV; all coordinates referred to ground zero shall be based on a vehicle in running order (as defined in section 2.6 of Annex I to Directive 70/156/EEC) plus one front-seat passenger, the mass of the passenger being 75 kg ± 1 %.

2.3.1. Vehicles fitted with suspension enabling their ground clearance to be adjusted shall be tested under the normal conditions of use specified by the vehicle manufacturer.

2.4. Primary reference marks

‘Primary reference marks’ means holes, surfaces, marks and identification signs on the vehicle body. The type of reference mark used and the position of each mark relative to the X, Y and Z coordinates of the three-dimensional reference grid and to a design ground plane shall be specified by the vehicle manufacturer. These marks may be the control points used for body-assembly purposes;

2.5. Seat-back angle

(See Annex III, section 1.3)

2.6. Actual seat-back angle

(See Annex III, section 1.4)

2.7. Design seat-back angle

(See Annex III, section 1.5)

2.8. V points

‘V points’ means points whose position in the passenger compartment is determined as a function of vertical longitudinal planes passing through the centres of the outermost designated seating positions on the front seat and in relation to the R point and the design angle of the seat-back, which points are used for verifying compliance with the field of vision requirements;

2.9. R point or seating reference point

(See Annex III, section 1.2)

2.10. H point

(See Annex III, section 1.1)

2.11 Windscreen datum points

‘Windscreen datum points’ means points situated at the intersection with the windscreen of lines radiating forward from the V points to the outer surface of the windscreen.

2.12. Transparent area

‘Transparent area’ means that area of a vehicle windscreen or other glazed surface whose light transmittance measured at right angles to the surface, is not less than 70 %.

2.13. P points

‘P points’ means the points about which the driver's head rotates when he views objects on a horizontal plane at eye level.

2.14. E points

‘E points’ means points representing the centres of the driver's eyes and used to assess the extent to which A pillars obscure the field of vision.

2.15. A pillar

‘A pillar’ means any roof support forward of the vertical transverse plane located 68 mm in front of the V points and includes non-transparent items, such as windscreen mouldings and door frames, attached or contiguous to such a support.

2.16. Horizontal seat-adjustment range

‘Horizontal seat-adjustment range’ means the range of normal driving positions designated by the vehicle manufacturer for the adjustment of the driver's seat in the direction...