Controls, tell-tales and indicators for two or three-wheel motor vehicles

This Directive defines the procedures applying to two or three-wheel vehicles and quadricycles, particularly as regards controls, tell-tales and indicators. It contains technical prescriptions concerning the approximation of the laws of the Member States to allow for the application of the EC type-approval procedure provided for in Directive 2002/24/EC.

ACT

Directive 2009/80/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 on the identification of controls, tell-tales and indicators for two or three-wheel motor vehicles (Codified version) (Text with EEA relevance).

SUMMARY

This Directive lays down the technical prescriptions applying to the design and construction of two or three-wheel motor vehicles as regards the identification of controls *, tell-tales * and indicators *.

This Directive applies to vehicles covered by the Directive relating to the type-approval of two or three-wheel motor vehicles, namely:

• mopeds: two- or three-wheel vehicles fitted with an engine having a cylinder capacity not exceeding 50 cm3 and a maximum design speed of not more than 45 km/h;
• motorcycles: two-wheel vehicles with or without a sidecar, fitted with an engine having a cylinder capacity of more than 50 cm3 and/or a maximum design speed of more than 45 km/h.
• tricycles: symmetrical three-wheel vehicles fitted with an engine having a cylinder capacity of more than 50 cm3 and/or a maximum design speed of more than 45 km/h;
• quadricycles: four-wheel vehicles fitted with an engine having a cylinder capacity of 50 cm3 or less, having a maximum speed of 45 km/h and an unladen mass of less than 350 kg, are considered to be mopeds, while other quadricycles are classed as tricycles.

Requirements

Controls, tell-tales and indicators must comply with the following requirements:

• the symbols shall stand out clearly against the background;
• the symbols shall be placed on the control or control tell-tale to be identified or in immediate proximity thereof;
• main-beam headlights shall be represented by parallel horizontal rays of light and dipped-beam headlamps by parallel rays of light angled downwards;
• the following colour codes must be used:
  • red: danger
  • amber: caution
  • green: safety
  • blue: main beam headlamp tell-tales.

Equivalence between the requirements laid down in this Directive and those laid down in UNECE Regulation No 60 is hereby acknowledged.

Member States may refuse to grant EC type-approval for any new type of vehicle if the requirements of this Directive applying to the identification of controls, tell-tales and indicators are not fulfilled.

Information

An information document must be attached to the application for EC component type-approval if this is submitted separately from the application for an EC vehicle type-approval. This document should contain the following information:

• make;
• type;
• vehicle category;
• photographs or drawings of the layout of the symbols.

This Directive repeals Directive 93/29/EC.

Last updated: 29.01.2010