14.7.2007 Official Journal of the European Union L 18425 DIRECTIVE 2007/38/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 11 July 2007 on the retrofitting of mirrors to heavy goods vehicles registered in the Community THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 71(1)(c) thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (1), After consulting the Committee of the Regions, Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty (%), Whereas: () A number of accidents are caused by drivers of heavy goods vehicles who are not aware that other road users are very close to or beside their vehicle. These accidents are often related to a change of direction at crossings, junctions or roundabouts when drivers fail to detect other road users in the blind spots which exist in the area immediately around their vehicles. It is estimated that every year about 400 people in Europe are killed in such circumstances, most of them being vulnerable road users such as cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians. In its White Paper of 12 September 2001 ‘European transport policy for 2010: time to decide’ the Commission set the target of halving the number of road fatalities in the EU by 2010. In its third Road Safety Action Programme the Commission committed itself to investigating the issue of retrofitting heavy goods vehicles already in circulation with devices for indirect vision in order to reduce their blind spots and thus to contribute to the reduction of road fatalities. In its 10 year roadmap in the Final Report ‘A Compe- titive Automotive Regulatory System for the 21st (!) Opinion of 14 March 2007 (not yet published in the Official Journal). (3 Opinion of the European Parliament of 10 May 2007 (not yet published in the Official Journal) and Council Decision of 25 June 2007. century’, the CARS 21 High Level Group recommended an integrated approach with regard to road safety including the compulsory introduction of new safety features, such as mirrors to reduce the blind spots of heavy goods vehicles. Devices of indirect vision, such as wide-angle and close- proximity mirrors, cameras, monitors, or other type- approved systems of indirect vision, improve the driver’s field of vision and increase vehicle safety. Directive 2003/97/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 November 2003 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the type approval of devices for indirect vision and of vehicles equipped with these devices (}), whilst having great potential for reducing the number of casualties affects only newly registered vehicles. Vehicles which are already in circulation are therefore not subject to the obligations set out in Directive 2003/97[EC. It can be estimated that those vehicles will not be fully replaced until 2023. In order to help reduce fatal and severe accidents caused by those vehicles and involving vulnerable road users, it is appropriate, in the meantime, to provide that the vehicles concerned be retrofitted with improved devices for indirect vision. Vehicles already in circulation should be equipped with mirrors reducing the lateral blind spots whilst fulfilling the technical requirements of Directive 2003/97 [EC. That is technically feasible for the majority of the vehicles concerned. It is, however, appropriate and proportionate to provide exemptions and derogations for vehicles whose remaining lifespan is short, vehicles which are equipped with lateral mirrors whose field of vision covers only marginally less than the fields of vision laid down in Directive 2003/97/EC, and vehicles where fitting with mirrors complying with that Directive is not econom- ically viable. () O] L 25, 29.1.2004, p. 1. Directive as last amended by Council Directive 2006/96/EC (O] L 363, 20.12.2006, p. 81).