The Motor Vehicles (Tests) Regulations 1981

PART IV The Braking Requirements

6.  The vehicle shall be examined to ascertain whether it is equipped with such a braking system or systems that the braking requirements are complied with, and in particular to ascertain whether—

(a) the braking systems are in good mechanical condition and are free from evident defects;

(b) the braking systems are properly adjusted and operate as intended by their design;

(c) there is any such lack of balance in the application of the brakes to the wheels as to cause, or be likely to cause, serious deviation of the vehicle from its course when being driven on a road; and

(d) there is any other evident defect in the vehicle or its equipment by reason of which the braking requirements are not complied with.

7.—(1) Subject to Regulation 16 the examination of the braking system or systems of the vehicle shall include a test of the braking efficiency of its brakes to ascertain whether they have the braking efficiency required by the braking requirements (hereafter referred to as “the requisite braking efficiency”).

(2) If the vehicle is a vehicle in Class I or II the said test shall be carried out in such one or more of the following ways as the examiner may think fit—

(a) by using suitable apparatus to measure the force required to pull the vehicle along the ground while a person seated in its saddle is applying the brakes and determining by reference to that force when expressed as a percentage of the weight of the vehicle and its rider and any load carried thereon at the time whether the brakes have the requisite braking efficiency;

(b) by the vehicle being placed with a person seated in its saddle on a sloping platform and determining by reference to the steepness of the slope of the platform at which the brakes of the vehicle when applied by that person will hold the vehicle and its rider on the platform whether the brakes have the requisite braking efficiency;

(c) by using such a brake testing apparatus as may be suitable in relation to the vehicle to measure the braking force which is developed when the brakes of the vehicle are applied and determining by reference to that force when expressed as a percentage of the weight of the vehicle, including any person or load carried thereon at the time, whether the brakes have the requisite braking efficiency.

(3) If the vehicle is a vehicle in Class III, IV, V or VI the test of the braking efficiency of its brakes shall be carried out—

(a) if the vehicle testing station is equipped with brake testing apparatus suitable in relation to the vehicle, by placing the vehicle on such apparatus and using it to measure the braking force developed when the brakes are applied and determining by reference to that force when expressed as a percentage of the weight of the vehicle (including any person or load carried in the vehicle at the time) whether the brakes have the requisite braking efficiency;

(b) if the vehicle testing station is not so equipped, by applying the brakes while the vehicle is being driven on a road or other suitable place and by using a suitable decelerometer to measure the braking efficiency of those brakes when they are applied and determining by reference to that braking efficiency whether the brakes have the requisite braking efficiency.

(4) Subject to Regulation 16 a test of the brakes of a vehicle carried out in accordance with any of the foregoing provisions of this paragraph may, if the examiner thinks fit, be supplemented by a further test by the vehicle being driven on a road or any other suitable place and by its brakes being applied while it is being so driven for the purpose of determining by observation of the effects of such application whether any one or more of the braking requirements are complied with.

(5) In this paragraph—

(a) references to the brakes of a vehicle being applied are references to its brakes being applied by the means of operation provided for that purpose and, where a vehicle has more than one means of operation, are references to its brakes being applied by each of those means of operation being used separately to apply the brakes;

(b) “brake testing apparatus” means apparatus designed and constructed to measure the braking force developed when the brakes of a motor vehicle are applied; and

(c) “decelerometer” means an apparatus designed and constructed to measure the braking efficiency of the brakes of a motor vehicle when those brakes are applied while the vehicle is being driven.