1. These Regulations may be cited as the Motor Vehicles (Designation of Approval Marks) (Amendment) Regulations 1991 and shall come into force on 1st October 1991.

2. The Motor Vehicles (Designation of Approval Marks) Regulations 1979(2) shall be further amended in accordance with the following provisions of these regulations.

3. In Schedule 4 after item 23A there shall be inserted the following item-�

"23B

Safety belt

The belt

Council Directive 77/541/EEC of 28th June 1977 as amended by Commission Directives 82/319/EEC of 2nd April 1982 and 90/628/EEC of 30th October 1990

O.J. L341, 6.12.90, p.1

1, 2 and 10"

4. In paragraph 10 of Schedule 5-�

(a)in sub-paragraph (1), for the words "In the markings relating to items 23 and 23A" there shall be substituted the words "In the markings relating to items 23, 23A and 23B";

(b)the word "and" immediately following sub-paragraph (3)(a) shall be omitted;

(c)in sub-paragraph (3)(b), for sub-paragraph (iv) onwards there shall be substituted-�

"(iv)the figure "4" if the retractor is an emergency locking retractor, or

(v)the figure and letter "4N" if the retractor is an emergency locking retractor with higher response threshold,

• followed by the letter "m" if the retractor is an emergency locking retractor with multiple sensitivity; and"

(d)after sub-paragraph (3)(b) amended as above, there shall be added the following sub-paragraph-�

"(c)in the case of a safety belt with a pre-loading device, the letter "p"."; and

(e)after sub-paragraph (3) amended as above, there shall be added the following sub-paragraph-�

"(4) In the case of a marking prescribed at either item 23A or item 23B in Schedule 4, the marking shall bear a symbol consisting of a rectangle with a motor vehicle of category M1 crossed out, if the safety belt is fitted with a retractor which, in normal driving conditions, does not restrict the freedom of movement of the wearer of the safety belt, but has special properties as regards use in vehicles of categories M2, M3, N1, N2 and N3.".

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations further amend the Motor Vehicles (Designation of Approval Marks) Regulations 1979.

A new item numbered 23B has been added to Schedule 4 to the 1979 Regulations as regards safety belts in consequence of Commission Directive 90/628/EEC (see Regulation 3) and a consequential amendment is made to Schedule 5 (see Regulation 4). The opportunity has also been taken to redraft some of the provisions contained in paragraph 10 of Schedule 5 in order to clarify its meaning and bring it into line with the corresponding paragraph in Schedule 3.

Copies of the EEC Directives (and amendments) referred to in these Regulations and in this note can be obtained from Her Majesty's Stationery Office. The details of the EEC Directives are set out in the Table below.