Motor Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999

Warning devices where certain high level equipment is fitted to a vehicle

10.—(1) Subject to the provisions of this regulation and regulations 11 and 12, no person shall drive or cause or permit to be driven on a road a vehicle to which this regulation applies unless the vehicle is fitted with a warning device and the requirements specified in paragraph (2) are satisfied in respect of the device, the vehicle and any relevant trailer drawn by the vehicle.

(2) The requirements are—

(a)that the device, the vehicle and any relevant trailer drawn by it shall be so constructed, maintained and adjusted, and the connections between the vehicle and those trailers are such, that the device would give a visible warning to the driver if, whilst the vehicle was being driven, the height of the highest point of any high level equipment fitted to the vehicle or any of those trailers were to exceed a predetermined height; and

(b)the predetermined height referred to in sub-paragraph (a) shall not exceed the overall travelling height by more than 1m.

(3) No person shall be taken to have failed to comply with paragraph (1) on the ground that a motor vehicle or a relevant trailer was not fitted with a warning device and the requirements in paragraph (2) were not being satisfied as mentioned in paragraph (1)—

(a)before 1st August 1999—

(i)if the motor vehicle was first used before 1st February 1999; or

(ii)the relevant trailer was manufactured before 1st February 1999; or

(b)before 1st February 1999 in relation to any other motor vehicle or relevant trailer.

(4) Paragraph (1) shall not apply in relation to a particular journey if, having regard to the lengths of road which the driver might drive along in the course of fulfilling the purpose of the journey and taking into account any possibility of unforeseen diversions and the driver having difficulty in finding his way, it is highly unlikely that the driver would during the course of the journey be confronted with any bridge or other overhead structure which does not exceed the maximum travelling height by at least 1m.