4. If a conference is convened in accordance with paragraph 3 of this Article, the Secretary-General shall invite to it all States referred to in Article 37, paragraph 1 of this Convention. He shall request all States invited to the conference to submit to him, at least six months before its opening date, any proposals which they may wish the conference to consider in addition to the proposed amendment and shall communicate such proposals, at least three months before the opening date of the conference, to all States invited to the conference.
5. (a) Any amendment to this Convention shall be deemed to be accepted if it has been adopted by a two-thirds majority of the States represented at the Conference, provided that such majority comprises at least two-thirds of the number of Contracting Parties represented at the conference. The Secretary General shall notify all Contracting Parties of the adoption of the amendment, and the amendment shall enter into force 12 months after the date of his notification of all Contracting Parties except those which during that period have notified the Secretary-General that they reject the amendment.
(b) A Contracting Party which has rejected an amendment during the said period of 12 months may at any time notify the Secretary-General that it accepts the amendment, and the Secretary-General shall communicate such notification to all the other Contracting Parties. The amendment shall enter into force, with respect to the Contracting Party which has notified its acceptance, six months after receipt by the Secretary-General of the notification or at the end of the said period of 12 months, whichever is later.
6. If the proposed amendment is not deemed to be accepted pursuant to paragraph 2 of this Article and if the conditions prescribed by paragraph 3 of this Article for convening a conference are not fulfilled, the proposed amendment shall be deemed to be rejected.
Article 42
Any Contracting Party may denounce this Convention by written notification to the Secretary-General. The denunciation shall take effect one year after the date of receipt by the Secretary-General of such notification.
Article 43
This Convention shall cease to be in force if the number of Contracting Parties is less than five for any period of 12 consecutive months.
Article 44
Any dispute between two or more Contracting Parties which relates to the interpretation or application of this Convention and which the Parties are unable to settle by negotiation or other means of settlement may be referred, at the request of any of the Contracting Parties concerned, to the International Court of Justice for decision.
Article 45
Nothing in this Convention shall be construed as preventing a Contracting Party from taking such action, compatible with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and limited to the exigencies of the situation, as it considers necessary to its external or internal security.
Article 46
1. Any State may, at the time of signing this Convention or of depositing its instrument of ratification or accession, declare that it does not consider itself bound by Article 44 of this Convention. Other Contracting Parties shall not be bound by Article 44 with respect to any Contracting Party which has made such a declaration.
2. (a) At the time of depositing its instrument of ratification or accession, every State shall, by notification addressed to the Secretary General, declare for the purposes of the application of this Convention:
(i) Which of the models Aa and Ab it chooses as a danger warning sign (art. 9, para. 1), and
(ii) Which of the models B,2a and B,2b it chooses as a stop sign (art. 10, para. 3).
Any State may, subsequently, at any time, by notification addressed to the Secretary-General alter its choice by replacing its declaration by another.
(b) At the time of depositing its instrument of ratification or accession, any State may, by notification addressed to the Secretary-General, declare that for the purposes of the application of this Convention it treats Mopeds as motor cycles [art. 1, (1)].
By notification addressed to the Secretary-General, any State may subsequently, at any time, withdraw its declaration.
3. The declarations provided for in paragraph 2 of this Article shall become effective six months after the date of receipt by the Secretary-General of notification of them or on the date on which the Convention enters into force for the State making the declaration, whichever is the later.
4. Reservations to this Convention and its annexes, other than the reservation provided for in paragraph 1 of this Article, shall be permitted on condition that they are formulated in writing and; if formulated before the deposit of the instrument of ratification or accession, are confirmed in that instrument. The Secretary-General shall communicate such reservations to all States referred to in Article 37, paragraph 1 of this Convention.
5. Any Contracting Party which has formulated a reservation or made a declaration under paragraphs 1 and 4 of this Article may withdraw it at any time by notification addressed to the Secretary-General.
6. A reservation made in accordance with paragraph 4 of this Article:
(a) Modifies for the Contracting Party which made the reservation the provisions of the Convention to which the reservation relates, to the extent of the reservation;
(b) Modifies those provisions to the same extent for the other Contracting Parties in their relations with the Contracting Party which entered the reservation.
Article 47
In addition to the declarations, notifications and communications provided for in Articles 41 and 46 of this Convention, the Secretary-General shall notify all the States referred to in Article 37, paragraph 1, of the following:
(a) Signatures, ratifications and accessions under Article 37;
(b) Declarations under Article 38;
(c) The dates of entry into force of this Convention in accordance with Article 39;
(d) The date of entry into force of amendments to this Convention in accordance with Article 41, paragraphs 2 and 5;
(e) Denunciations under Article 42;
(f) The termination of this Convention under Article 43.
Article 48
The original of this Convention, of which the Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish texts done in a single copy are equally authentic, shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, who shall send certified true copies thereof to all the States referred to in Article 37, paragraph 1, of this Convention.
In witness whereof the undersigned Plenipotentiaries,2 being duly authorized by their respective Governments, have signed this Convention.
Done at Vienna this eighth day of November, one thousand nine hundred and sixty-eight.
ANNEXES
Annex 1
Road signs
Section A
DANGER WARNING SIGNS
I. Models
1. The „A” DANGER WARNING signs shall be of model Aa or model Ab both described here and reproduced in Annex 3, except signs A,28 and A,29 described in paragraphs 28 and 29 below respectively. Model Aa is an equilateral triangle having one side horizontal and the opposite vertex above it; the ground is white or yellow and the border red. Model Ab is a square with one diagonal vertical; the ground is yellow and the border, which is only a rim, is black. Unless the description specifies otherwise, the symbols displayed on these signs shall be black or dark blue.
2. The size of the normal sized sign of model Aa shall measure approximately 0.90 m; that of the small sized sign of model Aa shall measure not less than 0.60 m. The size of the normal sized sign of model Ab shall measure approximately 0.60 m; that of the small sign of model Ab shall measure not less than 0.40 m.
3. As regards the choice between models Aa and Ab, see Article 5, paragraph 2, and Article 9, paragraph 1, of this Convention.
II. Symbols and instructions for the use of signs
1. Dangerous bend or bends
Warning of a dangerous bend or succession of dangerous bends shall be given by one of the following symbols, whichever is appropriate:
(a) A,1a: left bend
(b) A,1b: right bend
(c) A,1c: double bend, or succession of more than two bends, the first to the left
(d) A,1d: double bend, or succession of more than two bends, the first to the right.
2. Dangerous descent
(a) To give warning of a steep descent symbol A,2a shall be used with the sign of model Aa, or symbol A,2b with the sign of model Ab.
(b) The left-hand part of symbol A,2a shall occupy the left-hand corner of the sign panel and its base shall extend over the whole width of the panel. The figure in symbols A,2a and A,2b shows the gradient as a percentage it may be replaced by a ratio (1:10). It shall, however, be open to Contracting Parties taking into account as far as possible the provisions of Article 5, paragraph 2 (b) of this Convention, to use, instead of symbol A,2a or A,2b, symbol A,2c if they have adopted the sign of model Aa and symbol A,2d if they have adopted the sign of model Ab.
3. Steep ascent
(a) To give warning of a steep ascent, symbol A,3a shall be used with the sign of model Aa, or symbol A,3b with the sign of model Ab.
(b) The right-hand part of symbol A,3a shall occupy the right-hand corner of the sign panel and its base shall extend over the whole width of the panel. The figure in symbols A,3a and A,3b shows the gradient as a percentage; it may be replaced by a ratio (1:10). It shall, however, be open to Contracting Parties which have chosen symbol A,2c as the symbol for a dangerous descent to use symbol A,3c instead of A,3a, and to Contracting Parties which have chosen symbol A,2d to use symbol A,3a instead of A,3b.
4. Carriageway narrows
Warning that the carriageway ahead is narrower shall be given by the symbol A,4a or by a symbol showing the outline of the road more clearly, such as A,4b.
5. Swing bridge
(a) Warning of a swing bridge shall be given by the symbol A,5.
(b) A rectangular panel of model A,29a described in paragraph 29 below may be placed below the danger warning sign bearing symbol A,5, provided that panels of model A,29b and A,29c described in that paragraph are set up at approximately one third and two thirds of the distance between the sign bearing symbol A,5 and the swing bridge.
6. Road leads on to quay or river bank
Warning that the road is about to lead on to a quay or river bank shall be given by symbol A,6.
7. Uneven road
(a) Warning of dips, hump bridges or ridges, or of sections where the carriageway is in bad condition shall be given by symbol A,7a.
(b) To give warning of a hump bridge or ridge, symbol A,7a may be replaced by symbol A,7b.
(c) To give warning of a dip, symbol A,7a may be replaced by symbol A,7c.
8. Dangerous shoulders
(a) Warning of a section of road where the shoulders are particularly dangerous shall be given by symbol A,8.
(b) The symbol may be reversed.
9. Slippery road
Warning that the section of road ahead may be particularly slippery shall be given by symbol A,9.
10. Loose gravel
Warning of a section of road on which gravel may be thrown up shall be given by symbol A,10a used with the sign of model Aa or by symbol A,10b with the sign of model Ab.
11. Falling rocks
(a) Warning of a section of road on which there is danger from falling rocks and the consequent presence of rocks on the carriageway shall be given by symbol A,11a used with the sign of model Aa or by symbol A,11b with the sign of model Ab.
(b) The right-hand part of the symbol shall occupy the right-hand corner of the sign panel in both cases.
(c) The symbol may be reversed.
12. Pedestrian crossing
(a) Warning of a pedestrian crossing indicated either by road markings, or by signs E,12 shall be given by symbol A,12 of which there are two models: A,12a and A,12b.
(b) The symbol may be reversed.
13. Children
(a) Warning of a section of road frequented by children, such as the exit from a school or playground shall be given by symbol A,13.
(b) The symbol may be reversed.
14. Cyclists entering or crossing
(a) Warning of a point at which cyclists frequently enter or cross the road shall be given by symbol A,14.
(b) The symbol may be reversed.
15. Cattle or other animals crossing
(a) Warning of a section of road on which there is a particular danger of animals crossing shall be given by a symbol representing the silhouette of the animal, domestic or wild, most frequently encountered, such as symbol A,15a for a domestic animal and symbol A,15b for a wild animal.
(b) The symbol may be reversed.
16. Road works
Warning that work is in progress on the section of the road ahead shall be given by symbol A,15.
17. Light signals
(a) If it is considered essential to give warning of a section of road on which traffic is regulated by three-colour light signals, because road users would not expect such a section, symbol A, 17 shall be used. There are three models of symbol A,17: A,17a; A,17b; and A,17c, which correspond to the arrangements of lights in the three-colour system described in Article 23, paragraphs 4 to 6 of this Convention.
(b) This symbol shall be in the three colours of the lights of which it gives warning.
18. Intersection where the priority is prescribed by the general priority rule
(a) Warning of an intersection where the priority is that prescribed by the general priority rule in force in the country shall be given by symbol A,18a used with sign Aa or by symbol A,18b used with sign Ab.
(b) Symbols A,18a and A,18b may be replaced by symbols which show the nature of the intersection more clearly, such as A,18c; A,18d; A,18e; A,18f and A,18g.
19. Intersection with a road the users of which must give way
(a) Warning of an intersection with a road the users of which must give way shall be given by symbol A,19a.
(b) Symbol A,19a may be replaced by symbols which show the nature of the intersection more clearly, such as A,19b and A,19c.
(c) These symbols may be used on a road only if sign B,1 or sign B,2 is placed on the road or roads with which it forms the intersection of which warning is given, or if these roads are such (for example, paths or earthtracks) that, under domestic legislation, drivers using them are required to give way at the intersection even in the absence of such signs. The use of these symbols on roads on which sign B,3 is set up shall be confined to certain exceptional cases.
20. Intersection with a road to whose users drivers must give way
(a) If the „GIVE WAY” sign B,1 is placed at the intersection, the symbol A,20 shall be used at the approach.
(b) If the „STOP” sign B,2 is placed at the intersection, the symbol used at the approach shall be A,21a or A,21b whichever corresponds to the model of sign B,2 set up.
(c) However, instead of sign Aa with these symbols, sign B,1 or sign B,2 may be used in conformity with Article 10, paragraph 6, of this Convention.
21. Roundabout
Warning of a roundabout shall be given by symbol A,22.
22. Intersection where traffic is regulated by a light signal