The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986

JE+W+SPROTECTIVE SYSTEMS

Seat belt anchorage pointsE+W+S

46.—(1) Save as provided by paragraph (2), this regulation applies to—

(a)every wheeled motor car first used on or after 1st January 1965; and

(b)every three-wheeled motor cycle the unladen weight of which exceeds 255 kg and which was first used on or after 1st September 1970.

[F1(c)every heavy motor car first used on or after 1st October 1988.]

(2) This regulation does not apply to—

(a)a goods vehicle (other than a dual-purpose vehicle) which was first used—

(i) before 1st April 1967; or

(ii) on or after 1st April 1980 [F2and before 1st October 1988] and has a maximum gross weight F3... exceeding 3500 kg; or

(iii) before 1st April 1980 or, if the vehicle is of a model manufactured before 1st October 1979, was first used before 1st April 1982 and, in either case, has an unladen weight exceeding 1525 kg;

[F4(b)a bus, being—

(i)a minibus—

if first used before 1st October 1988, constructed or adapted to carry more than twelve passengers; or

if first used on or after 1st October 1988, having a maximum gross weight exceeding 3500 kg; or

(ii)a large bus (other than a coach first used on or after 1st October 1988);]

(c)an agricultural motor vehicle;

(d)[F5a motor] tractor;

(e)a works truck;

(f)an electrically-propelled goods vehicle [F6first used before 1st October 1988];

(g)a pedestrian-controlled vehicle;

(h)a vehicle which has been used on roads outside Great Britain and has been imported into Great Britain, whilst it is being driven from the place where it has arrived in Great Britain to a place of residence of the owner or driver of the vehicle, or from any such place to a place where, by previous arrangement, it will be provided with such anchorage points as are required by this regulation and such seat belts as are required by regulation 47;

[F7(i)a vehicle having a maximum speed not exceeding 16 mph;]

(j)a motor cycle equipped with a driver's seat of a type requiring the driver to sit astride it, and which is constructed or assembled by a person not ordinarily engaged in the trade or business of manufacturing vehicles of that description.

[F8(k)a locomotive.]

(3) A vehicle which was first used before 1st April 1982 shall be equipped with anchorage points which are designed to hold securely in position on the vehicle seat belts for the driver's seat and specified passenger's seat (if any).

(4) [F9Save as provided in paragraph (4A) or (4B)] a vehicle which is first used on or after 1st April 1982 shall be equipped with anchorage points which—

(a)are designed to hold securely in position on the vehicle seat belts for—

[F10(i)in the case of a minibus, a motor ambulance or a motor caravan—

if first used before 1st October 1988, the driver’s seat and the specified passenger’s seat (if any); or

if first used on or after 1st October 1988, the driver’s seat and any forward-facing front seat and]

(ii)[F11in the case of any other passenger or dual-purpose vehicle], every forward-facing seat constructed or adapted to accommodate one adult, and

[F12(iii)in any other case, every forward-facing front seat and every non-protected seat, and]

(b)comply with [F13the technical and installation requirements of] Community Directive 76/115 or 81/575 or 82/318 [F14or 90/629] or ECE Regulation 14 [F14or 14.01 or 14.02] [F15or 14.03] whether or not those instruments apply to the vehicle, so however, that the requirements in those instruments which relate to testing shall not apply.

[F16(4A) The requirements specified in paragraph (4) shall not apply to—

(a)a goods vehicle first used on or after 1st October 1988 and having a maximum gross weight exceeding 3500 kg, but any such vehicle shall be equipped with two belt anchorages designed to hold securely in position on the vehicle lap belts for the driver’s seat and each forward-facing front seat; or

(b)a coach equipped with anchorage points which are designed to hold securely in position on the vehicle seat belts for all exposed forward-facing seats and which—

(i)comply with the requirements in paragraph (4)(b); or

(ii)in any case where the anchorage points form part of a seat, do not when a forward horizontal force is applied to them become detached from the seat of which they form part before that seat becomes detached from the vehicle.

(4B) Instead of complying with the requirements in paragraph (4), a vehicle may comply [F17with—

(a)Community Directive 76/115 or 81/575 or 82/318 [F18or 90/629]; or

(b)ECE Regulation 14 or 14.01 or 14.02] [F19or 14.03].]

[F20(5) Save as provided in paragraph (5A), a vehicle of a type mentioned in paragraphs (4), (4A) and (4B) which is fitted with anchorage points other than those required by those paragraphs shall comply with the requirements in paragraph (4)(b) or, in the case of a coach, the requirements in paragraph (4A)(b)(ii) in respect of any additional anchorage points as well as in respect of the anchorage points required by paragraph (4), (4A) or (4B) to be provided.

(5A) The requirements in paragraph (5) shall not apply in respect of any additional anchorage points first fitted before 1st April 1986 in the case of a vehicle of a type mentioned in paragraph (4)(a)(i)(A), or before 1st October 1988 in the case of a vehicle of any other type.]

(6) In this regulation—

(a)the expressions [F21“exposed forward-facing seat”] “forward-facing seat” [F22“forward-facing front seat” and “lap belt”], “seat belt” and “specified passenger's seat” have the same meaning as in regulation 47(8); F23...

[F24(b)a seat is a “non protected seat” if it is not a front seat and the screen zones within the protected area have a combined surface area of less than 800cm²; and

(c)“screen zone” and “protected area” in relation to a seat, shall be construed in accordance with paragraph 4.3.3 of Annex 1 to a Community Directive 81/575.]

Seat beltsE+W+S

47.—(1) This regulation applies to every vehicle to which regulation 46 applies.

(2) Save as provided in paragraph (4) a vehicle to which—

(a)this regulation applies which was first used before 1st April 1981 shall be provided with—

(i) a body-restraining F25... belt, designed for use by an adult, for the driver's seat; and

(ii) a body-restraining F25... belt for the specified passenger's seat (if any);

(b)this regulation applies which is first used on or after 1st April 1981 shall be provided with three-point F26... belts for the driver's seat and for the specified passenger's seat (if any);

(c)regulation 46(4)(a)(ii) [F27or (iii)] applies which is first used on or after 1st April 1987 shall be fitted with seat belts additional to those required by sub-paragraph (b) as follows—

(i) for any forward-facing front seat alongside the driver's seat, not being a specified passenger's seat, a seat belt which is a three-point belt, or a lap belt installed in accordance with paragraph 3.1.2.1 of Annex 1 to Community Directive 77/541 or a disabled person's belt;

(ii) in the case of a passenger or dual-purpose vehicle having not more than two forward-facing seats behind the driver's seat with either—

(A) an inertia reel belt for at least one of those seats, or

(B) a three-point belt, a lap belt, a disabled person's belt or a child restraint for each of those seats;

(iii) in the case of a passenger or dual-purpose vehicle having more than two forward-facing seats behind the driver's seat, with either—

(A) an inertia reel belt for one of those seats being an outboard seat and a three-point belt, a lap belt, a disabled person's belt or a child restraint for at least one other of those seats;

(B) a three-point belt for one of those seats and either a child restraint or a disabled person's belt for at least one other of those seats; or

(C) a three-point belt, a lap belt, a disabled person's belt or a child restraint for each of those seats.

[F28(d)regulation 46(4)(a)(i)(B) applies shall be fitted with seat belts as follows—

(i)for the driver’s seat and the specified passenger’s seat (if any) a three-point belt; and

(ii)for any forward-facing front seat which is not a specified passenger’s seat, a three-point belt or a lap belt installed in accordance with the provisions of sub-paragraph (c)(i);

(e)regulation 46(4A)(b) applies shall be equipped with seat belts which shall be three-point belts, lap belts or disabled person’s belts.]

[F29Where a lap belt is fitted to a forward-facing front seat of a minibus, a motor ambulance or a motor caravan, or to an exposed forward-facing seat [F30(other than the driver’s seat or any crew seat) of a coach either—

(i)there shall be provided padding to a depth of not less than 50mm, on that part of the surface or edge of any bar, or the top or edge of any screen or partition, which would be likely to be struck by the head of a passenger wearing the lap belt in the event of an accident; or

(ii)the technical and installation requirements of Annex 4 to ECE Regulation 21 shall be met, in respect of any such bar, screen or partition,

but nothing in sub-paragraph (i) above shall require padding to be provided on any surface more than 1m from the centre of the line of intersection of the seat cushion and the back rest or more than 150mm on either side of the longitudinal vertical plane which passes through the centre of that line, nor shall it require padding to be provided on any instrument panel of a minibus.]

(3) Every seat belt for an adult, other than a disabled person's belt, provided for a vehicle in accordance with [F31paragraph (2)(b), (c), (d) or (e)] shall, except as provided in paragraph (6), comply with the installation requirements specified in paragraph 3.2.2 to 3.3.4 of Annex I to Community Directive 77/541 [F32or 82/319 or 90/628] whether or not [F33those Directives apply] to the vehicle.

(4) The requirements specified in paragraph (2) do not apply—

(a)to a vehicle while it is being used under a trade licence within the meaning of section 16 of the 1971 Act;

(b)to a vehicle, not being a vehicle to which the Type Approval (Great Britain) Regulations apply, while it is being driven from premises of the manufacturer by whom it was made, or of a distributor of vehicles or dealer in vehicles—

(i) to premises of a distributor of or dealer in vehicles or of the purchaser of the vehicle, or

(ii) to premises of a person obtaining possession of the vehicle under a hiring agreement or hire-purchase agreement;

(c)in relation to any seat for which there is provided—

(i) a seat belt which bears a mark including the specification number of the British Standard for Passive Belt Systems, namely BS AU 183:1983 and including the registered certification trade mark of the British Standards Institution; F34...

(ii) a seat belt designed for use by an adult which is a harness belt comprising a lap belt and shoulder straps which bears a British Standard mark or a mark including the specification number for the British Standard for Seat Belt Assemblies for Motor Vehicles, namely BS 3254:1960 [F35or [F36BS 3254: Part 1: 1988]] and including the registered certification trade mark of the British Standards Institution, or [F37the marking designated as an approval mark by regulation 4 of the Approval Marks Regulations and shown at item 16 ot 16A in Schedule 2 to those Regulations];

[F38(iii)a seat belt which satisfies the requirements of a standard corresponding to the British Standard referred to in sub-paragraph (i); or

(iv)a seat belt designed for use by an adult which is a harness belt comprising a lap belt and shoulder straps and which satisfies the requirements of a standard corresponding to any of the British Standards referred to in sub-paragraph (ii).]

(d)in relation to the driver's seat or the specified passenger's seat (if any) of a vehicle which has been specially designed and constructed, or specially adapted, for the use of a person suffering from some physical defect or disability, in a case where a disabled person's belt for an adult person is provided for use for that seat.

[F39(e)to a vehicle to which regulation 46(4A)(a) applies.]

(5) Every seat belt provided in pursuance of paragraph (2) shall be properly secured to the anchorage points provided for it in accordance with regulation 46; or, in the case of a child restraint, to anchorages specially provided for it or, in the case of a disabled person's belt, secured to the vehicle or to the seat which is being occupied by the person wearing the belt.

(6) Paragraph (3), in so far as it relates to the second paragraph of paragraph 3.3.2 of the Annex there mentioned (which concerns the locking or releasing of a seat belt by a single movement) does not apply in respect of a seat belt fitted for—

(a)a seat which is treated as a specified passenger's seat by virtue of the provisions of sub-paragraph (ii) in the definition of “specified passenger's seat” in paragraph (8); or

(b)any forward-facing seat for a passenger alongside the driver's seat of a goods vehicle which has an unladen weight of more than 915 kg and has more than one such seat, any such seats for passengers being joined together in a single structure.

[F40(c)any seat (other than the driver’s seat) fitted to a coach.]

(7) Every seat belt, other than a disabled person's belt or a seat belt of a kind mentioned in paragraph [F41(4)(c)] above, provided for any person in a vehicle to which this regulation applies shall be legibly and permanently marked—

(a)F42... with a British Standard mark or a designated approval mark; F43...

F43(b). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Provided this paragraph shall not operate so as to invalidate the exception permitted in paragraph (6).

[F44(7A) Paragraph (7) does not apply to—

(a)a seat belt for an adult F45... that satisfies the requirements of a standard corresponding to either of the British Standards referred to in sub-paragraph (i)(a) of the definition of “British Standard mark” in paragraph (8); or

(b)a child restraint that satisfies the requirements of a standard corresponding to any of the British Standards referred to in sub-paragraph (i)(b) of that definition.

(7B) For the purposes of this regulation a reference to a standard corresponding to a specified British Standard is a reference to—

(a)a standard or code of practice of a national standards body or equivalent body of any EEA State;

(b)any international standard recognised for use as a standard by any EEA State; or

(c)a technical specification recognised for use as a standard by a public authority of any EEA State,

where the standard, code of practice, international standard or technical specification provides in relation to seat belts, a level of safety equivalent to that provided by the British Standard and contains a requirement as respects the marking of seat belts equivalent to that provided by the British Standard.

(7C) For the purposes of paragraph (7B)—

(a)“EEA State” means a State which is a contracting Party to the EEA Agreement but, until the EEA Agreement comes into force in relation to Liechtenstein, does not include the state of Liechtenstein; and

(b)“EEA Agreement” means the Agreement on the European Economic Area signed at Oporto on 2nd May 1992 as adjusted by the Protocol signed at Brussels on 17th March 1993.]

(8) In this regulation—

“body-restraining F46... belt” means a seat belt designed to provide restraint for both the upper and lower parts of the trunk of the wearer in the event of an accident to the vehicle;

“British Standard mark” means a mark consisting of—

“child restraint” means a seat belt for the use of a young person which is designed either to be fitted directly to a suitable anchorage or to be used in conjunction with a seat belt for an adult and held in place by the restraining action of that belt: Provided that for the purposes of paragraph (2) (c)(ii)(B) and (2)(c)(iii) it means only such seat belts fitted directly to a suitable anchorage and excludes belts marked with the specification numbers BS AU 185 and BS AU 186 or 186a.

[F52“crew seat” has the same meaning as in regulation 3(1) of the Public Service Vehicles (Conditions of Fitness, Equipment, Use and Certification) Regulations 1981;]

“designated approval mark” means

“disabled person's belt” means a seat belt which has been specially designed or adapted for use by an adult or young person suffering from some physical defect or disability and which is intended for use solely by such a person;

[F52“exposed forward-facing seat” means—

[F52“forward-facing front seat” means—

“forward-facing seat” means a seat which is attached to a vehicle so that it faces towards the front of the vehicle in such a manner that a line passing through the centre of both the front and the back of the seat is at an angle of 30° or less to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle;

[F52“forward-facing high-backed seat” means a forward-facing seat which is also a high-backed seat;]

[F52“high-backed seat” means a seat the highest part of which is at least 1 metre above the deck of the vehicle.]

“inertia reel belt” means a three-point belt of either of the types required for a front outboard seating position by paragraph 3.1.1. of Annex 1 to Community Directive 77/541;

“lap belt” means a seat belt which passes across the front of the wearer's pelvic region [F56and which is designed for use by an adult];

“seat” includes any part designed for the accommodation of one adult of a continuous seat designed for the accommodation of more than one adult;

“seat belt” means a belt intended to be worn by a person in a vehicle and designed to prevent or lessen injury to its wearer in the event of an accident to the vehicle and includes, in the case of a child restraint, any special chair to which the belt is attached;

“specified passenger's seat” means—

and

“three-point belt” means a seat belt which—

Maintenance of seat belts and anchorage pointsE+W+S

48.—(1) This regulation applies to every seat belt with which a motor vehicle is required to be provided in accordance with regulation 47 and to the anchorages, fastenings, adjusting device and retracting mechanism (if any) of every such seat belt [F57and also to every anchorage with which a goods vehicle is required to be provided in accordance with regulation 46(4A)(a)].

(2) For the purposes of this regulation the anchorages and anchorage points of a seat belt shall, in the case of a seat which incorporates integral seat belt anchorages, include the system by which the seat assembly itself is secured to the vehicle structure.

(3) The anchorage points provided for seat belts shall be used only as anchorages for the seat belts for which they are intended to be used or capable of being used.

(4) Save as provided in paragraph (5) below—

(a)all load-bearing members of the vehicle structure or panelling within 30 cms of each anchorage point shall be maintained in a sound condition and free from serious corrosion, distortion or fracture;

(b)the adjusting device and (if fitted) the retracting mechanism of the seat belt shall be so maintained that the belt may be readily adjusted to the body of the wearer, either automatically or manually, according to the design of the device and (if fitted) the retracting mechanism;

(c)the seat belt and its anchorages, fastenings and adjusting device shall be maintained free from any obvious defect which would be likely to affect adversely the performance by the seat belt of the function of restraining the body of the wearer in the event of an accident to the vehicle;

(d)the buckle or other fastening of the seat belt shall—

(i) be so maintained that the belt can be readily fastened or unfastened;

(ii) be kept free from any temporary or permanent obstruction; and

(iii) except in the case of a disabled person's seat belt, be readily accessible to a person sitting in the seat for which the seat belt is provided;

(e)the webbing or other material which forms the seat belt shall be maintained free from cuts or other visible faults (as, for example, extensive fraying) which would be likely to affect adversely the performance of the belt when under stress;

(f)the ends of every seat belt, other than a disabled person's seat belt, shall be securely fastened to the anchorage points provided for them; and

(g)the ends of every disabled person's seat belt shall, when the seat belt is being used for the purpose for which it was designed and constructed, be securely fastened either to some part of the structure of the vehicle or to the seat which is being occupied by the person wearing the belt so that the body of the person wearing the belt would be restrained in the event of an accident to the vehicle.

(5) No requirement specified in paragraph (4) above applies if the vehicle is being used—

(a)on a journey after the start of which the requirement ceased to be complied with; or

(b)after the requirement ceased to be complied with and steps have been taken for such compliance to be restored with all reasonable expedition.

(6) Expressions which are used in this regulation and are defined in regulation 47 have the same meaning in this regulation as they have in regulation 47.

[F58Minibuses and coaches to be fitted with additional seat belts when used in certain circumstancesE+W+S

48A.—(1) No person shall use or cause or permit to be used on a road a coach or minibus wholly or mainly for the purpose of carrying a group of 3 or more children in the following circumstances unless the appropriate number of forward-facing passenger seats fitted to the vehicle meet the requirements of this regulation.

(2) The circumstances are that—

(a)the group of children are on an organised trip; and

(b)the journey is being made for the purposes of the trip.

(3) In paragraph (1), the reference to the appropriate number is a reference to the number of children being carried in the vehicle (excluding disabled children in wheelchairs).

(4) Without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (2)(a), a group of children shall, for the purposes of this regulation, be regarded as being on an organised trip if they are being carried to or from their school or from one part of their school premises to another.

(5) Without prejudice to the meaning of paragraph (2)(b), paragraph (1) shall not apply to a vehicle if it is being used in the provision of a bus service of a description specified in paragraph 2 of the Schedule to the Fuel Duty Grant (Eligible Bus Services) Regulations 1985 or if it is otherwise being used wholly or mainly for the purpose of providing a transport service for the general public.

(6) For a forward-facing passenger seat to meet the requirements of this regulation a seat belt must be provided for it, and —

(a)if paragraph (3) of regulation 47 does not (in whole or part) apply to the seat belt and the seat belt was first fitted to the vehicle after 10th February 1997, the seat belt must comply with that paragraph to the extent (if any) that it would have to so comply were—

(i)that regulation to apply to all motor vehicles, and

(ii)there substituted for the words “provided” to “or (e)”, in that paragraph, the words “provided for any person in a vehicle to which this regulation applies”;

(b)if paragraph (5) of regulation 47 does not apply to the seat belt and the seat belt is a seat belt for an adult (not being a disabled person’s belt) that was first fitted to the vehicle after 10th February 1997, the seat belt must comply with the requirements specified in paragraph (7) below;

(c)if paragraph (5) of regulation 47 does not apply to the seat belt and the seat belt is a child restraint that was first fitted to the vehicle after 10th February 1997, the seat belt must be properly secured to anchorages provided for it;

(d)if paragraph (5) of regulation 47 does not apply to the seat belt and the seat belt is a disabled person’s belt that was first fitted to the vehicle after 10th February 1997, the seat belt must be properly secured to the vehicle or to the seat;

(e)if regulation 47 does not apply to the vehicle and the seat belt was first fitted to the vehicle after 10th February 1997, the seat belt must comply with paragraph (7) of that regulation to the extent (if any) that it would have to so comply were that regulation to apply to all motor vehicles; and

(f)if regulation 48 does not apply to the seat belt and the seat belt was first fitted to the vehicle after 10th February 1997, the requirements of paragraph (4) of that regulation must be met in relation to the anchorages, fastenings, adjusting device and retracting mechanism (if any) of the seat belt to the extent (if any) that those requirements would have to be met were that paragraph to apply to all anchorages, fastenings, adjusting devices and retracting mechanisms of seat belts fitted to motor vehicles,

and paragraph (2) of regulation 48 shall apply for the purposes of sub-paragraph (f) above as it applies for the purposes of that regulation.

(7) The requirements referred to in paragraph (6)(b) are that the seat belt must be properly secured to the anchorage points provided for it and, in a case where any of those anchorage points is first fitted to the vehicle after 10th February 1997 the anchorage points to which it is secured must comply—

(a)if the vehicle is a coach, with the requirements specified in regulation 46(4)(b) or (4A)(b)(ii); or

(b)in any other case, with the requirements specified in regulation 46(4)(b).

(8) Until 10th February 1998, this regulation shall not apply to a coach first used before 1st October 1988.

(9) In this regulation—

• “school” has the meaning given by section 14(5) of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992;

• “forward-facing passenger seat” means a forward-facing seat which is not the driver’s seat; and

• “child restraint”, “disabled person’s belt”, “forward-facing seat”, “seat”, and “seat belt” have the meanings given in regulation 47.

(10) For the purpose of this regulation, a child is a person who is aged 3 years or more but is under the age of 16 years.]

Rear under-run protectionE+W+S

49.—(1) Save as provided in paragraph (2), this regulation applies to a wheeled goods vehicle being either—

(a)a motor vehicle with a maximum gross weight which exceeds 3500 kg and which was first used on or after 1st April 1984; or

(b)a trailer manufactured on or after 1st May 1983 with an unladen weight which exceeds 1020 kg.

(2) This regulation does not apply to—

(a)a motor vehicle which has a maximum speed not exceeding 15 mph;

(b)a motor car or a heavy motor car constructed or adapted to form part of an articulated vehicle;

(c)an agricultural trailer;

(d)engineering plant;

(e)a fire engine;

(f)an agricultural motor vehicle;

(g)a vehicle fitted at the rear with apparatus specially designed for spreading material on a road;

(h)a vehicle so constructed that it can be unloaded by part of the vehicle being tipped rearwards;

(i)a vehicle owned by the Secretary of State for Defence and used for naval, military or air force purposes;

(j)a vehicle to which no bodywork has been fitted and which is being driven or towed—

(i) for the purpose of a quality or safety check by its manufacturer or a dealer in, or distributor of, such vehicles; or

(ii) to a place where, by previous arrangement, bodywork is to be fitted or work preparatory to the fitting of bodywork is to be carried out; or

(iii) by previous arrangement to premises of a dealer in, or distributor of, such vehicles;

(k)a vehicle which is being driven or towed to a place where by previous arrangement a device is to be fitted so that it complies with this regulation;

(l)a vehicle specially designed and constructed, and not merely adapted, to carry other vehicles loaded onto it from the rear;

(m)a trailer specially designed and constructed, and not merely adapted, to carry round timber, beams or girders, being items of exceptional length;

(n)a vehicle fitted with a tail lift so constructed that the lift platform forms part of the floor of the vehicle and this part has a length of at least 1 m measured parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle;

(o)a trailer having a base or centre in a country outside Great Britain from which it normally starts its journeys, provided that a period of not more than 12 months has elapsed since the vehicle was last brought into Great Britain;

(p)a vehicle specially designed, and not merely adapted, for the carriage and mixing of liquid concrete;

(q)a vehicle designed and used solely for the delivery of coal by means of a special conveyor which is carried on the vehicle and when in use is fitted to the rear of the vehicle so as to render its being equipped with a rear under-run protective device impracticable; or

(r)an agricultural trailed appliance.

(3) Subject to the provisions of paragraphs (4), (5) and (6), every vehicle to which this regulation applies shall be equipped with a rear under-run protective device.

(4) A vehicle to which this regulation applies and which is fitted with a tail lift, bodywork or other part which renders its being equipped with a rear under-run protective device impracticable shall instead be equipped with one or more devices which do not protrude beyond the overall width of the vehicle (excluding any part of the device or the devices) and which comply with the following requirements—

(a)where more than one device is fitted, not more than 50 cm shall lie between one device and the device next to it;

(b)not more than 30 cm shall lie between the outermost end of a device nearest to the outermost part of the vehicle to which it is fitted and a longitudinal plane passing through the outer end of the rear axle of the vehicle on the same side of the vehicle or, in a case where the vehicle is fitted with more than one rear axle, through the outer end of the widest rear axle on the same side of the vehicle, and paragraph II.5.4.2 in the Annex to Community Directive 79/490 shall not have effect in a case where this requirement is met; and

(c)the device or, where more than one device is fitted, all the devices together, shall have the characteristics specified in paragraphs [F59II.5.4.1] to II.5.4.5.5.2 in the Annex to the said Directive save—

(i) as provided in sub-paragraphs (a) and (b) above;

(ii) that for the reference in paragraph II.5.4.5.1 in that Annex to 30 cm there is substituted a reference to 35 cm; and

(iii) that the distance of 40 cm specified in paragraph II.5.4.5 in that Annex may be measured exclusive of the said tail-lift, bodywork or other part.

(5) The provisions of paragraph (3) shall have effect so that in the case of—

(a)a vehicle which is fitted with a demountable body, the characteristics specified in paragraph II.5.4.2 in the Annex to the said Directive have effect as if the reference to 10 cm were a reference to 30 cm and as if in paragraph II.5.4.5.1 the reference to 30 cm were a reference to 35 cm; and

(b)a trailer with a single axle or two close-coupled axles, the height of 55 cm referred to in paragraph II.5.4.5.1 in that Annex is measured when the coupling of the trailer to the vehicle by which it is drawn is at the height recommended by the manufacturer of the trailer.

(6) Instead of complying with paragraphs (3) to (5) a vehicle may comply with Community Directive 79/490.

(7) In this regulation—

“rear under-run protective device” means a device within the description given in paragraph II.5.4 in the Annex to Community Directive 79/490.

Maintenance of rear under-run protective deviceE+W+S

50.  Every device fitted to a vehicle in compliance with the requirements of regulation 49 shall at all times when the vehicle is on a road be maintained free from any obvious defect which would be likely to affect adversely the performance of the device in the function of giving resistance in the event of an impact from the rear.

SideguardsE+W+S

51.—(1) Save as provided in paragraph (2), this regulation applies to a wheeled goods vehicle being—

(a)a motor vehicle first used on or after 1st April 1984 with a maximum gross weight which exceeds 3500 kg; or

(b)a trailer manufactured on or after 1st May 1983 with an unladen weight which exceeds 1020 kg; or

(c)a semi-trailer manufactured before 1st May 1983 which has a relevant plate showing a gross weight exceeding 26,000 kg and which forms part of an articulated vehicle with a relevant train weight exceeding 32,520 kg.

(2) This regulation does not apply to—

(a)a motor vehicle which has a maximum speed not exceeding 15 mph;

(b)an agricultural trailer;

(c)engineering plant;

(d)a fire engine;

(e)an agricultural motor vehicle;

(f)a vehicle so constructed that it can be unloaded by part of the vehicle being tipped sideways or rearwards;

(g)a vehicle owned by the Secretary of State for Defence and used for naval, military or air force purposes;

(h)a vehicle to which no bodywork has been fitted and which is being driven or towed—

(i) for the purpose of a quality or safety check by its manufacturer or a dealer in, or distributor of, such vehicles;

(ii) to a place where, by previous arrangement, bodywork is to be fitted or work preparatory to the fitting of bodywork is to be carried out; or

(iii) by previous arrangement to premises of a dealer in, or distributor of, such vehicles;

(i)a vehicle which is being driven or towed to a place where by previous arrangement a sideguard is to be fitted so that it complies with this regulation;

(j)a refuse vehicle;

(k)a trailer specially designed and constructed, and not merely adapted, to carry round timber, beams or girders, being items of exceptional length;

(l)a motor car or a heavy motor car constructed or adapted to form part of an articulated vehicle;

(m)a vehicle specially designed and constructed, and not merely adapted, to carry other vehicles loaded onto it from the front or the rear;

(n)a trailer with a load platform—

(i) no part of any edge of which is more than 60 mm inboard from the tangential plane; and

(ii) the upper surface of which is not more than 750 mm from the ground throughout that part of its length under which a sideguard would have to be fitted in accordance with paragraph (5)(d) to (g) if this exemption did not apply to it;

(o)a trailer having a base or centre in a country outside Great Britain from which it normally starts its journeys, provided that a period of not more than 12 months has elapsed since the vehicle was last brought into Great Britain; or

(p)an agricultural trailed appliance.

[F60(2A) This regulation also applies to a wheeled goods vehicle, whether of a description falling within paragraph (2) or not, which is a semi-trailer some or all of the wheels of which are driven by the drawing vehicle.]

(3) Every vehicle to which this regulation applies shall be securely fitted with a sideguard to give protection on any side of the vehicle where—

(a)if it is a semi-trailer, the distance between the transverse planes passing through the centre of its foremost axle and through the centre of its king pin or, in the case of a vehicle having more than one king pin, the rearmost one, exceeds 4.5 m; or

(b)if it is any other vehicle, the distance between the centres of any two consecutive axles exceeds 3 m.

(4) Save as provided in paragraphs (6) and (7), a sideguard with which a vehicle is by this regulation required to be fitted shall comply with all the specifications listed in paragraph (5).

(5) Those specifications are—

(a)the outermost surface of every sideguard shall be smooth, essentially rigid and either flat or horizontally corrugated, save that—

(i) any part of the surface may overlap another provided that the overlapping edges face rearwards or downwards;

(ii) a gap not exceeding 25 mm measured longitudinally may exist between any two adjacent parts of the surface provided that the foremost edge of the rearward part does not protrude outboard of the rearmost edge of the forward part; and

(iii) domed heads of bolts or rivets may protrude beyond the surface to a distance not exceeding 10 mm;

(b)no part of the lowest edge of a sideguard shall be more than 550 mm above the ground when the vehicle to which it is fitted is on level ground and, in the case of a semi-trailer, when its load platform is horizontal;

(c)in a case specified in an item in column 2 of the Table the highest edge of a sideguard shall be as specified in that item in column 3;

(d)the distance between the rearmost edge of a sideguard and the transverse plane passing through the foremost part of the tyre fitted to the wheel of the vehicle nearest to it shall not exceed 300 mm;

(e)the distance between the foremost edge of a sideguard fitted to a semi-trailer and a transverse plane passing through the centre of the vehicle's king pin or, if the vehicle has more than one king pin, the rearmost one, shall not exceed 3 m;

(f)the foremost edge of a sideguard fitted to a semi-trailer with landing legs shall, as well as complying with sub-paragraph (e), not be more than 250 mm to the rear of a transverse plane passing through the centre of the leg nearest to that edge;

(g)the distance between the foremost edge of a sideguard fitted to a vehicle other than a semi-trailer and a transverse plane passing through the rearmost part of the tyre fitted to the wheel of the vehicle nearest to it shall not exceed 300 mm if the vehicle is a motor vehicle and 500 mm if the vehicle is a trailer;

(h)the external edges of a sideguard shall be rounded at a radius of at least 2.5 mm;

(i)no sideguard shall be more than 30 mm inboard from the tangential plane;

(j)no sideguard shall project beyond the longitudinal plane from which, in the absence of a sideguard, the vehicle's overall width would fall to be measured;

(k)every sideguard shall cover an area extending to at least 100 mm upwards from its lowest edge 100 mm downwards from its highest edge, and 100 mm rearwards and inwards from its foremost edge, and no sideguard shall have a vertical gap measuring more than 300 mm nor any vertical surface measuring less than 100 mm; and

(l)except in the case of a vehicle described in paragraph (1) (c) every sideguard shall be capable of withstanding a force of 2 kilonewtons applied perpendicularly to any part of its surface by the centre of a ram the face of which is circular and not more than 220 mm in diameter, and during such application—

(i) no part of the sideguard shall be deflected by more than 150 mm, and

(ii) no part of the sideguard which is less than 250 mm from its rearmost part shall be deflected by more than 30 mm.

(6) The provisions of paragraph (4) apply—

(a)in the case of an extendible trailer when it is, by virtue of the extending mechanism, extended to a length greater than its minimum, so as not to require, in respect of any additional distance solely attributable to the extension, compliance with the specifications mentioned in paragraph (5) (d) to (g);

(b)in the case of a vehicle designed and constructed, and not merely adapted, to be fitted with a demountable body or to carry a container, when it is not fitted with a demountable body or carrying such a container as if it were fitted with such a body or carrying such a container; and

(c)only so far as it is practicable in the case of—

(i) a vehicle designed solely for the carriage of a fluid substance in a closed tank which is permanently fitted to the vehicle and provided with valves and hose or pipe connections for loading or unloading; and

(ii) a vehicle which requires additional stability during loading or unloading or while being used for operations for which it is designed or adapted and is fitted on one or both sides with an extendible device to provide such stability.

(7) In the case of a motor vehicle to which this regulation applies and which is of a type which was required to be approved by the Type Approval for Goods Vehicles Regulations before 1st October 1983—

(a)if the bodywork of the vehicle covers the whole of the area specified as regards a sideguard in paragraph (5)(b), (c), (d) and (g) above the other provisions of that paragraph do not apply to that vehicle; and

(b)if the bodywork of the vehicle covers only part of that area the part of that area which is not so covered shall be fitted with a sideguard which complies with the provisions of paragraph (5) above save that there shall not be a gap between—

(i) the rearmost edge of the sideguard or the rearmost part of the bodywork (whichever is furthest to the rear) and the transverse plane mentioned in paragraph (5)(d) of more than 300 mm;

(ii) the foremost edge of the sideguard or the foremost part of the bodywork (whichever is furthest to the front) and the transverse plane mentioned in paragraph (5)(g) of more than 300 mm; or

(iii) any vertical or sloping edge of any part of the bodywork in question and the edge of the sideguard immediately forwards or rearwards thereof of more than 25 mm measured horizontally.

(8) In this regulation

“relevant plate” means a Ministry plate, where fitted, and in other cases a plate fitted in accordance with regulation 66;

“relevant train weight” means the train weight shown in column 2 of the Ministry plate, where fitted, and in other cases the maximum train weight shown at item 8 of the plate fitted in accordance with regulation 66; and

“tangential plane”, in relation to a sideguard, means the vertical plane tangential to the external face of the outermost part of the tyre (excluding any distortion caused by the weight of the vehicle) fitted to the outermost wheel at the rear and on the same side of the vehicle.

[F61(9) Instead of complying with the foregoing provisions of this regulation a vehicle may comply with Community Directive 89/297.]

Maintenance of sideguardsE+W+S

52.  Every sideguard fitted to a vehicle in compliance with the requirements of regulation 51 shall at all times when the vehicle is on a road be maintained free from any obvious defect which would be likely to affect adversely its effectiveness.

MascotsE+W+S

53.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), no mascot, emblem or other ornamental object shall be carried by a motor vehicle first used on or after 1st October 1937 in any position where it is likely to strike any person with whom the vehicle may collide unless the mascot is not liable to cause injury to such person by reason of any projection thereon.

(2) Instead of complying with the requirements of paragraph (1) a vehicle may comply with Community Directive 74/483 or 79/488 or ECE Regulation 26.01.

[F62Strength of superstructureE+W+S

53A.—(1) This regulation applies to every coach which is—

(a)a single decked vehicle;

(b)equipped with a compartment below the deck for the luggage of passengers; and

(c)first used on or after [F631st April 1993].

(2) Every vehicle to which this regulation applies shall comply with the requirements of ECE Regulation 66.

Additional exits from double-decked coachesE+W+S

53B.—(1) This regulation applies to every coach which is—

(a)a double-decked vehicle; and

(b)first used on or after 1st April 1990.

(2) Subject to the following provisions of this regulation, every vehicle to which this regulation applies shall be equipped with two staircases, one of which shall be located in one half of the vehicle and the other in the other half of the vehicle.

(3) Instead of being equipped with two staircases in accordance with paragraph (2), a vehicle to which this regulation applies may be equipped in accordance with the following provisions of this regulation with a hammer or other similar device with which in case of emergency any side window of the vehicle may be broken.

(4) Where a vehicle is equipped with—

(a)a staircase located in one half of the vehicle; and

(b)an emergency exit complying with regulation 21(8) of the Public Service Vehicles (Conditions of Fitness, Equipment, Use and Certification) Regulations 1981 located in the same half of the upper deck of the vehicle;

the hammer or the similar device shall be located in the other half of that deck.

(5) Any hammer or other similar device with which a vehicle is equipped pursuant to this regulation shall be located in a conspicuous and readily accessible position in the upper deck of the vehicle.

(6) There shall be displayed, in a conspicuous position in close proximity to the hammer or other similar device, a notice which shall contain in clear and indelible lettering—

(a)in letters not less than 25 mm high, the heading “IN EMERGENCY”; and

(b)in letters not less than 10 mm high, instructions that in case of emergency the hammer or device is to be used first to break any side window by striking the glass near the edge of the window and then to clear any remaining glass from the window aperture.

(7) For the purposes of this regulation a staircase, emergency exit, hammer or other similar device (as the case may be) shall be considered to be located in the other half of the vehicle if the shortest distance between any part of that staircase, exit, hammer or device (as the case may be) and any part of any other staircase, emergency exit, hammer or device is not less than one half of the overall length of the vehicle.]