Two- or three-wheeled motor vehicles: anti-theft devices

1) OBJECTIVE

To harmonize anti-theft devices for two- or three-wheeled motor vehicles.

2) ACT

Council Directive 93/33/EEC of 14 June 1993 on protective devices intended to prevent the unauthorized use of two- or three-wheeled motor vehicles [Official Journal L 188 of 29.07.1993].

Amended by the following:

Commission Directive 1999/23/EC of 9 April 1999 [Official Journal L 104 of 21.04.1999].

3) SUMMARY

Directive 93/33/EEC

This Directive forms part of the approval procedure for two or three-wheeled motor vehicles, initially put in place by Directive 92/61/EEC which was repealed and replaced by Directive 2002/24/EC.

The vehicles covered by the Directive are divided into:

• mopeds: two- or three-wheeled 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-wheeled vehicles with or without sidecar, fitted with an engine having a cylinder capacity of more than 50 cm3 and/or having a maximum design speed of more than 45 km/h;
• tricycles: vehicles with three symmetrically arranged wheels 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-wheeled vehicles whose engine cylinder capacity does not exceed 50 cm3, whose maximum design speed is not more than 45 km/h and whose unladen mass is less than 350 kg are considered to be mopeds; other quadricycles are classed as tricycles.

Recognition of equivalence between the provisions of the Directive and those of United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) Regulation No 62.

The protective device may:

• act solely and positively on the steering (type 1);
• act positively on the steering at the same time as the device which switches off the engine of the vehicle (type 2);
• when preloaded, act on the steering at the same time as the device which switches off the engine of the vehicle (type 3);
• act positively on the transmission (type 4).

General requirements relating to the design and operation of anti-theft devices:

• all two- or three-wheeled motor vehicles, with the exception of mopeds, must be fitted with an anti-theft device which meets the requirements contained in this Directive; if an anti-theft device is fitted to a moped, it must meet the requirements contained in this Directive;
• it must be necessary to disable the protective device in order to point, drive or move the vehicle straight ahead;
• the key can only be removed when the catch is fully engaged or withdrawn;
• the protective device must form part of the vehicle's original equipment;
• the key locking system must incorporate at least 1 000 different combinations or a quantity equivalent to the number of vehicles built annually if that number is lower than 1 000;
• the key and lock code must not be visible;
• the protective device must be such that, when the vehicle is set in motion and the engine is turning, there is no likelihood of accidental jamming or deterioration of the steering device or transmission.

Requirements specific to the type of protective device.

Conditions governing the testing of protective devices.

Procedure for adapting the provisions of this Directive to technical progress or to amendments to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Regulation.

Procedure for granting component type-approval:

• the application for component type-approval is submitted by the manufacturer to the competent authority within a Member State;
• the competent authority grants component type-approval for the protective devices if these conform to the technical requirements of this Directive and to the data provided by the manufacturer;
• to this end this authority fills in the component type-approval certificate contained in the annex to the Directive.

The requirements relating to protective devices form part of a list of 47 characteristics set out in Council framework Directive 92/61/EEC, all of which have to be complied with by manufacturers for two- or three-wheeled motor vehicles to be approved and marketed within the Community.

Directive 1999/23/EC

Directive 1999/23/EC adapts the provisions relating to the locking angle of the steering of quadricycles and those relating to the removal of the key from type-3 devices designed to be fitted to tricycles and quadricycles. It also provides for two- and three-wheel motor vehicles to be fitted with protective devices against unauthorised use which are approved for four-wheel motor vehicles.

Protective devices intended to prevent unauthorised use approved for motor vehicles in categories M1 and N1 in conformity with Directive 74/61/EEC may also be fitted to two- or three-wheel motor vehicles.

If it is of type 1, 2 or 3 the protective device must be designed in such a way that the steering can only be locked at an angle of at least 20° to the left and/or right in relation to the straight-ahead position, with the exception of devices designed to be fitted to tricycles and quadricycles

In the case of type 3 protective devices it must not be possible to preload the catch via action on the part of the vehicle user combined or added to a turning of the key. Apart from the conditions provided for in the annex of Directive 93/33/EEC and except in the case of tricycles and quadricycles, it shall not be possible to remove the key once the catch has been preloaded.

Last updated: 14.07.2005