Legal provisions of COM(1994)519 - Side-impact resistance of motor vehicles

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dossier COM(1994)519 - Side-impact resistance of motor vehicles.
document COM(1994)519 EN
date May 20, 1996


Contents

Article 1

For the purposes of this Directive, 'vehicle` shall have the meaning given to it in Article 2 of Directive 70/156/EEC.

Article 2

1. No Member State may, on grounds concerning the protection of occupants of vehicles in the event of a side impact resistance:

- refuse, in respect of a vehicle type, to grant EC type-approval or national type-approval, or

- prohibit the registration, sale or entry into service of a vehicle,

if it complies with the requirements of this Directive.

2. With effect from 1 October 1998, Member States may no longer grant:

- EC type-approval for a vehicle type in accordance with Article 4 of Directive 70/156/EEC,

- national type-approval for a vehicle type,

unless the vehicle satisfies the requirements of this Directive.

3. Paragraph 2 shall not apply to types of vehicle which have been type-approved before 1 October 1998 in application of any two of the following Directives: 70/387/EEC (door latches and hinges), 74/483/EEC (external projections) and 76/115/EEC (anchorages for motor-vehicle safety belts) nor, where appropriate, to subsequent extensions to those type-approvals.

4. With effect from 1 October 2003, Member States must consider certificates of conformity which accompany new vehicles in accordance with Directive 70/156/EEC to be no longer valid for the purposes of Article 7 (1) of that Directive, if they do not certify that the vehicles conform to the requirements of the Annexes to this Directive.

Article 3

In Part 1 of Annex IV to Directive 70/156/EEC the table shall be supplemented as follows:

>TABLE>

Article 4

In the framework of the adaptation of this Directive to technical progress within two years from the date mentioned in Article 2 (2), a review shall be held by the Commission. It shall be based on a review of the technical criteria and, in particular, the viscous criterion, front seat position and the ground clearance of the barrier. The review criteria will include inter alia accident research data, full scale car-to-car test results and cost-benefit considerations. The review will examine the potential gains in passenger protection and the industrial feasibility of increasing the ground clearance of the barrier. The results of this review will be subject to a report from the Commission to the European Parliament and Council.

Article 5

1. Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with this Directive by 20 May 1997 at the latest. They shall forthwith inform the Commission thereof.

When Member States adopt these provisions, they shall contain a reference to this Directive or be accompanied by such reference at the time of their official publication. The procedure for making such reference shall be adopted by the Member States.

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

Article 6

This Directive shall enter into force on the 20th day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

Article 7

This Directive is addressed to the Member States.