In October 2007, the European Type Approval scheme for cars known as European Community Whole Vehicle Type Approval (ECWVTA) was amended by the implementation of the Recast Framework Directive 2007/46/EC. Due to this
legislation, ECWVTA will extend to cover other vehicle types for the first time. The directive details the mandatory implementation dates for all categories of vehicles affected, the first being M1 passenger cars from
29th April 2009, followed by buses, coaches, vans, trucks, some special purpose vehicles (including Motor Caravanc) and trailers at key dates between 2009 and 2014. The Directive provides the base European
legislation for the approval of vehicles that are mass produced, built in small numbers or as individual vehicles, requiring them to meet specified safety and environmental standards before they can be used on the road. The IVA
scheme is a pre-registration inspection for cars and light goods vehicles that have not been Type-Approved to British or European standards. The IVA test checks that vehicles constructed for non-European Economic Area markets
comply with British law.
Unfortunately, Motor Caravans are exempt from these requirements until 29th April 2012. This means that your vehicle does not have to meet any of the safety and environmental standards applicable to normal vehicles. However,
it is a requirement of use on the road, that the vehicle meets the applicable Construction & Use regulations I have attached a link to the IVA manual, which contains the requirements for vehicle lighting:
If you go to section 22 of the manual (EOL,Pos etc) you will see that this covers lighting. Page five of this section covers the exact requirements for Side Marker Lamps. From this you will see that Side Marker Lights are
indeed required for vehicles over 6 metres in length. I do hope this information is helpful, but should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Best regards,
Mark
Mark Vickers Eng Tech MSOE MIRTE
Technical Officer
Single Vehicle Approval
Passenger Cars & Light Goods Vehicles
Vehicle & Operator Services Agency
Department for Transport.
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