Parking lamps on motor vehicles (until 2014)

This Directive aims to harmonise the technical requirements concerning parking lamps to permit the implementation of the EC type-approval procedure.

ACT

Council Directive 77/540/EEC of 28 June 1977 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to parking lamps for motor vehicles [See amendingacts].

SUMMARY

This Directive concerns any motor vehicle intended for use on the road, with or without bodywork, having at least four wheels and a maximum design speed exceeding 25 km/h, as well as its trailers.

Vehicles which run on rails, agricultural or forestry tractors and any mobile machinery.

Each Member State must grant component EC type-approval for any type of parking lamp which satisfies the construction and testing requirements laid down in the Annexes to the Directive, and issue an EC component type-approval mark for each type of parking lamp approved. The Member State which has granted EC component type-approval must take the measures required in order to verify that production models conform to the approved type.

According to the system of granting approval set out in the Directive, Member States may not:

• prohibit the placing on the market of parking lamps on grounds relating to their construction or method of functioning if they bear the EC component type-approval mark.
• refuse to grant EC type-approval or national type-approval of any vehicle on grounds relating to parking lamps if these bear the EC component type-approval mark and are fitted in accordance with the requirements laid down in Directive 76/756/EEC.
• refuse or prohibit the sale, registration, entry into service or use of any vehicle on grounds relating to parking lamps if these bear the EEC component type-approval mark and are fitted in accordance with the requirements laid down in Directive 76/756/EEC.

Nevertheless, a Member State may prohibit the placing on the market of parking lamps bearing the EC component type-approval mark that consistently fail to conform to the approved type.

This Directive is repealed by Regulation (EC) No 661/2009 from 1 November 2014.

Last updated: 08.11.2011