The letters shall be formed of capital letters in Latin characters, and shall measure at least 10 centimetres in height, the breadth of each line being 15 millimetres. The distinctive letters for the different countries shall be the following:1

Germany, D; Austria, A; Belgium, B; Spain, E; United States of America, US; France, F; Great Britain and Ireland, GB; Greece, GR; Hungary, H; Italy, I; Montenegro, MN; Monaco, MC; the Netherlands, NL; Portugal, P; Russia, R; Roumania, RM; Servia, SB; Sweden, S; Switzerland, CH.

PROTOCOL RECORDING DEPOSIT OF THE RATIFICATIONS OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION WITH RESPECT TO THE CIRCULATION OF MOTOR VEHICLES, SIGNED AT PARIS, OCTOBER 11, 1909

In execution of Article 10, § A of the International Convention with respect to the Circulation of Motor Vehicles, signed at Paris, the 11th October, 1909, the undersigned, Representatives of the co

In the case of Bulgaria, the letters BG have been adopted. 'Notices referred to in Article 8 of Convention.

signatory Powers, have assembled at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in order to proceed to the deposit of the Ratifications of the High Contracting Powers.

The Instruments of Ratification of His Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas, Emperor of India; of His Majesty the German Emperor, King of Prussia; of His Majesty the Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, &c., and Apostolic King of Hungary; of His Majesty the King of Bulgaria; of His Majesty the King of Spain; of the President of the French Republic; of His Majesty the King of Italy; and of his Serene Highness the Prince of Monaco, have been produced, and, having been after examination found in good and due form, have been entrusted to the Government of the French Republic with a view to their deposit in the archives of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

The Governments of Belgium, Greece, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Portugal, Roumania, Russia, and Servia, have declared that they are not in a position this day to deposit their Ratifications, and have requested to be allowed the faculty, reserved to them by paragraph D of Article 10, to fulfil this formality at a later date.

The French Government will notify these successive deposits to the Contracting Powers.

Done at Paris, the 1st March, 1910, in a single original, of which a duly certified copy shall be communicated to each of the signatory Governments.

The undersigned, Plenipotentiaries of the Governments of the States mentioned below, gathered in Conference in Paris, from the 20th to 24th April, 1926, in order to examine the modifications to

1

The Belg.an Ratificat.on was deposited April 30, 1910.

The Russian Ratification was deposited March 5, 1910.

The Signatory Powers have agreed that the position of Belgium and Russia is assimilated to that of Powers which deposited ratifications on March 1, 1910, and that the provisions of the first part of Article 13 therefore apply in the case of these countries.

* Signed at Paris, April 24, 1926; official translation of Great Britain, Treaty Series No. 11 (1930).

be made in the International Convention of the 11th October, 1909,1 relative to motor traffic, have agreed upon the following stipulations:

General Provisions

ARTICLE 1

The Convention applies to road motor traffic in general irrespective of the object and nature of the transport, subject, however, to the special national regulations regarding public passenger transport services and public goods transport services.

ARTICLE 2

All passenger and goods-carrying motor vehicles running on any road to which the public have access, other than vehicles running on rails, are regarded as motor-vehicles for the purposes of the present Convention.

Conditions to be fulfilled by Motor Vehicles in order that they may be admitted to travel on a Road to which the Public have Access

ARTICLE 3

Every motor vehicle, in order to receive international authorisation to travel on any road to which the public have access, must either have been recognised as suitable for use on any road to which the public have access after an examination by the competent authority or by an association authorised by that authority or must conform to a type approved in the same manner. The vehicle must, in any case, fulfil the following conditions:

I. The motor vehicle must be equipped with the following:(a) A strong steering apparatus which will allow the vehicle to be turned easily and with certainty.

(b) Either two systems of brakes, independent of each other, or one system of brakes with two independent means of operation, of which one means of operation will function, even if the other fails to function, provided that in all cases the system used is really effective and rapid in action.

(c) If the weight of the motor vehicle when empty exceeds 350 kilog., a mechanism by means of which the vehicle can from the driver's seat be made to move backwards under its own power.

1See ante, p. 25.

(d) When the combined weight of the empty motor vehicle and the weight of the maximum load which it is officially declared to be capable of carrying exceeds 3,500 kilog.. a special mechanism, such as can prevent, in all circumstances, the vehicle from running backwards, and in addition a reflecting mirror.

The controls and steering apparatus must be so placed that the driver can manage them with certainty and at the same time have a clear view of the road.

The machinery must be such as to work with certainty and disposed in such a way as to avoid, as far as possible, all danger of fire or explosion; as not to constitute any sort of danger to traffic and so as not to frighten or seriously inconvenience by noise, smoke or smell. The vehicle must be equipped with a silencer.

The wheels of motor vehicles and trailers drawn by them must be fitted with rubber tyres or with some other tyres of equivalent elasticity.

The distance between the ends of the hub-caps must not exceed the maximum width of the remainder of the vehicle.

II. The motor vehicle must carry:—

1. At the front and the back, marked on plates or on the vehicle itself, the registration number which has been allotted to it by the competent authority. The registration number placed at the back as well as the distinctive mark referred to in Article 5 must be lit up as soon as they cease to be visible by the light of day.

In the case of a vehicle followed by a trailer the registration number and the distinctive mark referred to in Article 5 are repeated behind the trailer, and the regulation regarding the lighting of these marks applies to the trailer.

2. In an easily accessible position and in a form easily legible. the following particulars:

Name of maker of chassis.
Maker's chassis number.
Maker's engine number.

III. Every motor vehicle must be fitted with an audible warning device of sufficient strength.

IV. Every motor vehicle travelling alone must, during the night and from sunset, be fitted in front with at least two white lights placed one on the right and the other on the left, and, at the back, with a red light.

For motor bicycles unaccompanied by a side-car, the number of lights in front may be reduced to one.

V. Every motor vehicle must also be equipped with one or more devices capable of effectively illuminating the road for a sufficient distance ahead unless the two white lights prescribed above already fulfil this condition.

If the vehicle is capable of proceeding at a speed greater than 30 kilom. an hour this distance must not be less than 100 metres.

VI. Lamps which may produce a dazzling effect must be provided with means for eliminating the dazzling effect when other users of the road are met, or on any occasion when such elimination would be useful. The elimination of the dazzling effect must, however, leave sufficient light to illuminate the road clearly for at least 25 metres.

VII. Motor vehicles drawing trailers are subject to the same regulations as separate motor vehicles in so far as forward lighting is concerned; the rear red light is to be carried on the back of the trailer.

VIII. In so far as the limits regarding weight and dimensions are concerned, motor vehicles and trailers must satisfy the general regulations in force in the countries in which they travel.

Delivery and Recognition of International Certificates for Motor Vehicles

ARTICLE 4

With the object of certifying that every motor vehicle which has received international authorisation to travel on a road to which the public have access fulfils the conditions laid down in Article 3 or is able to fulfil them, international certificates are delivered on the model and according to the remarks contained in Annexes A and B to the present Convention.

These certificates are valid for one year from the date of their delivery. The written particulars which they bear must always be written in Latin characters or in so-called English script.

The international certificates delivered by the authorities of one of the contracting States or by an association authorised by them with the counter-signature of the authority give the right to travel freely in all other contracting States and are recognised therein. as valid without further examination. The right to use the international certificate may, however, be refused if it is clear that the conditions laid down in Article 3 are no longer being fulfilled.

Distinguishing Mark
ARTICLE 5

Every motor vehicle, to receive international authorisation to travel on a road to which the public have access, must carry, in a visible position in the rear, a distinguishing mark consisting of from one to three letters written on a plate or on the vehicle itself.