Legal requirements for rearview mirrors on motorcycles

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Legal requirements for rearview mirrors on motorcycles
Rossen Gargolov

counselor

traffic & business

Legal requirements for rearview mirrors on motorcycles

Rear-view mirrors on the motorcycle are a must, but there is scope for mounting them. But there are a few things to consider. We asked the police and traffic lawyers.


Dina Dervisevic

October 01, 2019

“There is no general ban on rear-view mirrors attached below the handlebars,” according to the press office of the Munich police headquarters. However, that does not mean that rear-view mirrors are generally permitted below the handlebars. If you want to be on the safe side, there are a few things to consider on this topic that don’t just apply to hanging rear-view mirrors.

On the one hand, there is Paragraph 56 of the Road Traffic Licensing Regulations (Section 56 / I StVZO), which states that motor vehicles must have mirrors or other devices for indirect vision that are designed and installed in such a way that the vehicle driver can observe all traffic processes that are essential for him can. And what does that mean in concrete terms?

The viewing angle must not exceed 55 degrees

Christian Janeczek from the German Lawyers’ Association explains the following: “It is regulated in the EU Directive (97/24 / EC of 1.4.2000) that the viewing angle from the driver’s eye (horizontal line to the front) to the mirror must not exceed 55 degrees. In what amount – whether above or below the mirror – is not regulated in the EU directive. When manufacturers bring a model onto the market that is equipped with mirrors below the handlebars as standard, they usually have an ABE for this and are therefore also legal, ”says the traffic law expert.


Legal requirements for rearview mirrors on motorcycles


Rossen Gargolov

“When manufacturers bring a model onto the market that is equipped with mirrors below the handlebars as standard, they usually have an ABE for this and are therefore also legal.”, so the feedback from an expert from the German Lawyers’ Association.

So check the police

Ok, 55 degrees maximum viewing angle. And how does the police check that at a traffic control? Not at all: “The police officers do not exactly check the angle of inclination,” was the response from the Munich police to our request. The decisive factor when driving a motorcycle is that the driver can observe all traffic processes that are essential for him. This is also the subject of the review of the rearview mirror. To do this, a police officer stands two to three meters behind the motorcycle and checks whether the driver can see all the main traffic processes, the police explain. The answer also says: “A warning is only issued if the motorcyclist cannot perceive the police officer. This would result in a warning of 15 euros for violating § 56 StVZO. “

In Austria, for example, the police check whether “a circle with a diameter of 78 mm can be drawn on a non-round mirror on the reflecting surface”, as described in section 7.1.1.3. of the ECE-R81.

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European regulation for rear-view mirrors on motorcycles

How a rearview mirror has to be designed is in the European regulation No. 81 (ECE-R81) Are defined. Roughly, the following applies: The rear-view mirrors must be adjustable, must not have any edges that could cause injuries and the reflecting surface must not be less than 69 square centimeters. Anyone who is enthusiastic about the radii of curvature, rounding radii and degrees of reflection required for type approval are welcome to study “Regulation No. 81 of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe”. Or when buying, simply look for the ECE certification mark that manufacturers receive if they meet EU regulations.

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Do you still have the serial mirrors mounted on your bike??

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Attachment of the rearview mirror to the motorcycle

The instructions for attaching the rearview mirror are important for the vehicle owner if they want to replace their standard mirrors with others. For this purpose, regulation No. 81 stipulates: “Rearview mirrors must be attached in such a way that they do not move during normal use” and can be adjusted by the driver “in a normal driving position.”

In addition, the mirrors must be at least 28 centimeters away from the center of the vehicle, with measurements being taken in a horizontal line from the center of the reflective surface to the center of the steering head.

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How many rear-view mirrors do you need??

The ECE-R81 regulates: For two-wheeled vehicles with a design-specific maximum speed of no more than 50 km / h, a rear-view mirror is sufficient (in countries with right-hand traffic on the left-hand side of the vehicle). All two-wheeled vehicles with a maximum speed of more than 50 km / h, as determined by their design, must be equipped with two rear-view mirrors, one on the right and one on the left side of the vehicle. According to the German Road Traffic Licensing Regulations (StVZO), this only applies to motorcycles from first registration on January 1st, 1990. Before that, one left was enough.

Conclusion

There is no general ban on rear-view mirrors attached below the handlebar. However, in order to remain in the legal and fine-free area, the German road traffic licensing regulations as well as the European regulation No. 81 must be observed – for this it is best to pay attention to the ECE test mark, then the regulations should be met. During a traffic control, it is important for the police that the motorcyclist can observe all traffic processes that are essential for him.

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