Statutory Instruments
Road Traffic
Made
23rd March 2010
Laid before Parliament
26th March 2010
Coming into force
20th April 2010
The Secretary of State makes the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by section 41(1), (2) and (5) of the Road Traffic Act 1988(1).
Representative organisations have been consulted in accordance with section 195(2) of that Act.
1. These Regulations may be cited as the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use)(Amendment)(No. 2) Regulations 2010 and shall come into force on 20th April 2010.
2.—(1) The table in Regulation 8(1) of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986(2) is amended as follows.
(2) For the words in column 2 of item 4 substitute “A trailer drawn by a motor vehicle other than a motor cycle.”.
(3) Omit items 5, 6 and 7.
Signed by authority of the Secretary of State
Paul Clark
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
23rd March 2010
Department for Transport
(This note is not part of the Regulations)
Regulation 8 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 specifies the maximum permitted widths of road vehicles. It is an offence to tow a trailer which exceeds the relevant width. A maximum width of 2.3 metres is (with certain exceptions) specified in the case of a trailer drawn by a motor vehicle having a maximum gross weight of 3500 kg or less.
These Regulations amend the 1986 Regulations so that a maximum width of 2.55 metres applies to all types of trailer except for a trailer drawn by a motor cycle. 2.55 metres is the width referred to in section 7.3.2.1 of Annex I of Directive 97/27/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 July 1997 relating to the masses and dimensions of certain categories of motor vehicles and their trailers (OJ L 233, 25.8.1997, p.1).
The Department for Transport has produced an Explanatory Memorandum and an Impact Assessment, showing the effect this instrument will have on the costs of business and public sectors. These documents are available from the Transport Technology and Standards Division, Department for Transport, Zone 2/04a, Great Minster House, 76 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DR or may be accessed via the Office of Public Sector Information website at www.opsi.gov.uk. A copy has been placed in the library of each House of Parliament.
S.I. 1986/1078, the table in regulation 8(1) was amended by regulation 4(2) of S.I. 1995/3051; other instruments have amended 1986/1078, but none is relevant.