Motor Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1969
| Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
| Citation | SI 1969/321 |
1969 No. 321
ROAD TRAFFIC
The Motor Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 196911thMarch 1969
31stMarch 1969
1stMay 1969
ARRANGEMENT OF REGULATIONS
PART I.—PRELIMINARY
Regulation
Commencement and Citation … … … … … … … 1
Revocation … … … … … … … … … … 2
Interpretation … … … … … … … … … 3
Application and Exemptions … … … … … … … 4 and 5
PART II.—REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE CONSTRUCTION, WEIGHT AND EQUIPMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES AND TRAILERS
A. GENERAL
Construction … … … … … … … 6
Overall length … … … … … … … 7
Overall height of public service vehicles … … … 8
Variation of wheel load … … … … … 9
Springs … … … … … … … … 10
Parking brake … … … … … … … 11
Vacuum or pressure braking systems … … … 12
Speedometer … … … … … … … 13
Diameter of wheels … … … … … … 14
Reversing … … … … … … … 15
View to the front … … … … … … 16
Mirrors … … … … … … … … 17
Safety glass … … … … … … … 18
Windscreen wipers … … … … … … 19
Windscreen washers … … … … … … 20
Audible warning instrument … … … … … 21
Silencer … … … … … … … … 22
Noise … … … … … … … … 23
Emission of smoke or vapour … … … … … 24 and 25
Emission of sparks or grit … … … … … 26
Closets, urinals, lavatory basins and sinks … … … 27
Maximum seating capacity of half-decked vehicles … … 28
Lighting equipment and reflectors … … … … 29
Certain vehicles to be equipped with plates … … … 30
Regulation
B. DIRECTION INDICATORS AND STOP LIGHTS
Direction indicators … … … … … … 31
Stop lights … … … … … … … 32
C. GAS CONTAINERS
Gas containers … … … … … … … 33
D. LOCOMOTIVES
Overall width … … … … … … … 34
Distribution of weight … … … … … 35
Tyres … … … … … … … … 36
Brakes … … … … … … … … 37 and 38
E. MOTOR TRACTORS
Overall width … … … … … … … 39
Overhang … … … … … … … 40
Brakes … … … … … … … … 41
Tyres … … … … … … … … 42
F. HEAVY MOTOR CARS
Overall width … … … … … … … 43
Overhang … … … … … … … 44
Brakes … … … … … … … … 45
Tyres … … … … … … … … 46
Wings … … … … … … … … 47
G. MOTOR CARS
Overall width … … … … … … … 48
Overhang … … … … … … … 49
Brakes … … … … … … … … 50
Tyres … … … … … … … … 51
Wings … … … … … … … … 52
Seat belts and anchorage points … … … … 53
H. MOTOR CYCLES
Brakes … … … … … … … … 54
Tyres … … … … … … … … 55
Wings … … … … … … … … 56
I. INVALID CARRIAGES
Width … … … … … … … … 57
Brakes … … … … … … … … 58
Wings … … … … … … … … 59
J. TRAILERS
Overall length … … … … … … … 60
Overall width … … … … … … … 61
Brakes … … … … … … … … 62
Tyres … … … … … … … … 63 and 64
Wings … … … … … … … … 65
PART III.—REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE USE ON ROADS OF MOTOR VEHICLES AND TRAILERS
Regulation
Markings on locomotives, tractors and heavy motor cars … 66
Trailer plate … … … … … … … … 67
Laden weight of locomotive … … … … … 68
Weight of trailers drawn by a locomotive … … … 69
Laden weight of heavy motor car or motor car … … … 70 and 71
Laden weight of trailer … … … … … … 72
Laden weight of vehicle and trailer … … … … 73
Laden weight of articulated vehicle … … … … 74
Distribution of weight … … … … … … 75
Maintenance and use of vehicle so as not to be a danger … 76
Maintenance of speedometer … … … … … 77
Maintenance of glass … … … … … … 78
Maintenance of brakes … … … … … … 79
Maintenance of steering gear and windscreen wiper … … 80
Maintenance of lighting equipment and reflectors … … 81
Use and maintenance of silencer … … … … … 82
Condition and maintenance of tyres … … … … 83
Use of vehicles so as not to emit smoke, etc. … … … 84 and 85
Contents of lavatories, etc. … … … … … 86
Excessive noise … … … … … … … 87 and 88
Limitation of noise by measurement … … … … 89
Stopping of engine when stationary … … … … 90
Use of audible warning instruments … … … … 91
Duties relating to driving and stopping … … … … 92 to 97
Opening of doors … … … … … … … 98
Application of brakes of trailers … … … … … 99 and 100
Restriction on distance between motor vehicles and trailers and
marking of trailer connections … … … … … 101
Restrictions on the use of vehicles to draw trailers and of trailers
drawn … … … … … … … … 102 to 108
Passengers on motor bicycles … … … … … 109
Restrictions on use of vehicles carrying wide or long loads or
having fixed appliances or apparatus … … … … 110 to 111
Mascots … … … … … … … … 112
Television sets … … … … … … … 113
Implements suspended from lifting appliances … … … 114
Attendants on trailers and certain other vehicles … … 115
Number of trailers which may be drawn … … … … 116
PART IV.—TESTING AND INSPECTION OF BRAKES, SILENCERS, STEERING GEAR, TYRES, LIGHTING EQUIPMENT AND REFLECTORS
Testing of brakes, etc. … … … … … … 117
PART V.—PARTICULAR REGULATIONS RELATING TO VEHICLES FOR WHICH PLATING CERTIFICATES HAVE BEEN ISSUED
Interpretation … … … … … … … 118
Application of Part V … … … … … … 119
Ministry Plate for Goods Vehicles … … … … … 120
Weight restrictions … … … … … … … 121
Additional markings … … … … … … 122
Alteration of braking requirements … … … … 123
Additional provisions as to braking requirements … … … 124
Tyres … … … … … … … … … 125
SCHEDULES
Page
1. Regulations revoked by Regulation 2 … … … 901
2. Plates for certain vehicles … … … … … 901
3. Direction Indicators … … … … … … 903
4. Gas Containers … … … … … … … 912
5. Requirements with respect to the efficiency of the brakes of
certain motor vehicles … … … … … 914
6. Diagram of Trailer Plate … … … … … 916
7. Permissible maximum weights … … … … … 917
8. Conditions to be complied with in relation to the use of
vehicles carrying wide or long loads or having fixed app-
liances or apparatus which project … … … 918
9. Maximum Sound Levels (A Weighting) in Decibels (dBA) 922
10. Conditions mentioned in Regulation 89 (2) … … … 924
11. Ministry Plate … … … … … … … 926
The Minister of Transport, in exercise of his powers under section 64(1) of the Road Traffic Act 1960(a), as amended by section 51 of and Schedule 4 to the Road Traffic Act 1962(b), and as extended by section 8 of the Road Safety Act 1967(c), sections 69(1) and 72(5) of the said Act of 1960, section 17 of the said Act of 1962 and of all other powers him enabling in that behalf, and after consultation with representative organisations in accordance with the provisions of section 260(2) of the said Act of 1960, hereby makes the following Regulations:—
PART I.—PRELIMINARY
Commencement and Citation
1. These Regulations shall come into operation on 1st May 1969 and may be cited as the Motor Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1969.
Revocation
2. The Regulations specified in Schedule 1 are hereby revoked.
Interpretation
3.—(1) In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires, the following expressions have the meanings hereby assigned to them respectively, that is to say,—
"the 1960 Act" means the Road Traffic Act 1960;
"agricultural trailer" means a trailer the property of a person engaged in agriculture which is not used on a road for the conveyance of any goods or burden other than agricultural produce or articles required for the purposes of agriculture;
"articulated vehicle" means a heavy motor car or motor car with a trailer so attached to the drawing vehicle that part of the trailer is superimposed upon the drawing vehicle, and when the trailer is uniformly loaded not less than 20 per cent. of the weight of its load is borne by the drawing vehicle;
"braking efficiency", in relation to the application of brakes to a motor vehicle at any time, means the maximum braking force capable of being developed by the application of those brakes, expressed as a percentage of the weight of the vehicle including any persons (not being fare paying or other travelling passengers) or load carried in the vehicle at that time;
"close-coupled", in relation to a trailer, means that the wheels on the same side of the trailer are so fitted that at all times while it is in motion they remain parallel to the longitudinal axis of the trailer, and that the distance between the centres of their respective areas of contact with the road surface does not exceed 33 inches;
"deck" means a floor or platform upon which seats are provided for the accommodation of passengers;
"direction indicator" means a device fitted to a motor vehicle or trailer for the purpose of intimating the intention of the driver to change the direction of the vehicle to the right or to the left;
"double-decked vehicle" means a vehicle having two decks one of which is wholly or partly above the other and each deck of which is provided with a gangway serving seats on that deck only;
(a) 8 & 9 Eliz. 2. c. 16.
(c) 1967 c. 30.
"dual-purpose vehicle" means a vehicle constructed or adapted for the carriage both of passengers and of goods or burden of any description, being a vehicle of which the unladen weight does not exceed 2 tons, and which either—
(i) is so constructed or adapted that the driving power of the engine is, or by the appropriate use of the controls of the vehicle can be, transmitted to all the wheels of the vehicle, or
(ii) satisfies the following conditions as to construction, namely:—
(a) the vehicle must be permanently fitted with a rigid roof, with or without a sliding panel;
(b) the area of the vehicle to the rear of the driver's seat must—
(i) be permanently fitted with at least one row of transverse seats (fixed or folding) for two or more passengers and those seats must be properly sprung or cushioned and provided with upholstered back-rests, attached either to the seats or to a side or the floor of the vehicle; and
(ii) be lit on each side and at the rear by a window or windows of glass or other transparent material having an area or aggregate area of not less than 2 square feet on each side and not less than 120 square inches at the rear;
(c) the distance between the rearmost part of the steering wheel and the backrests of the row of transverse seats satisfying the requirements specified in head (i) of the foregoing sub-paragraph (b) (or, if there is more than one such...
To continue reading
Request your trial