Interpretation2

1

In these Regulations—

  • “the Construction and Use Regulations” means the Motor Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 19783;

  • “appropriate information document”—

    1. i

      in relation to a vehicle subject to type approval requirements and in respect of which an application for a type approval certificate is made, means a document in the form set out in Part I of Schedule 2;

    2. ii

      in relation to a vehicle subject to type approval requirements and in respect of which an application for a Minister's approval certificate is made, means a document in the form set out in Part II of Schedule 2; and

    3. iii

      in relation to a vehicle part subject to type approval requirements means a document in the form set out in Part III of Schedule 2;

  • “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 2040 kilograms, and which satisfies the following conditions as to construction, namely:—

    1. a

      the vehicle must be permanently fitted with a rigid roof, with or without a sliding panel;

    2. b

      the area of the vehicle to the rear of the driver's seat must—

      1. 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

      2. 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 1850 square centimetres on each side and not less than 770 square centimetres at the rear; and

    3. c

      the distance between the rearmost part of the steering wheel and the back-rests of the row of transverse seats satisfying the requirements specified in sub-paragraph (b)(i) above or, if there is more than one such row of seats, the distance between the rearmost part of the steering wheel and the back-rests of the rearmost such row must, when the seats are ready for use, be not less than one-third of the distance between the rearmost part of the steering wheel and the rearmost part of the floor of the vehicle;

  • “ECE Regulation” means a Regulation annexed to the Agreement concerning the adoption of uniform conditions of approval for motor vehicle equipment and parts and reciprocal recognition thereof concluded at Geneva on 2nd March 19584 as amended5 to which the United Kingdom is a party6;

  • “maximum gross weight” means, in relation to a vehicle, the weight which it is designed or adapted not to exceed when in normal use and travelling on a road laden;

  • “motor ambulance” means a motor vehicle which is specially designed and constructed (and not merely adapted) for carrying, as equipment permanently fixed to the vehicle, equipment used for medical, dental or other health purposes and is used primarily for the carriage of persons suffering from illness, injury or disability;

  • “motor caravan” means a motor vehicle which is constructed or adapted for the carriage of passengers and their effects and which contains, as permanently installed equipment, the facilities which are reasonably necessary for enabling the vehicle to provide mobile living accommodation for its users;

  • “the prescribed fee”, in relation to any matter provided for in these Regulations, means the fee prescribed for such matter in regulation under section 50(1);

  • “the prescribed type approval requirements”, in relation to a vehicle or a vehicle part subject to type approval requirements, means the type approval requirements prescribed therefor by these Regulations;

  • “the type approval requirements” means the requirements with respect to the design, construction, equipment or marking of vehicles or vehicle parts which—

    1. a

      relate to the items numbered in column (1) and listed in column (2) of Schedule 1, and

    2. b

      are contained in instruments or other documents, and consist of the requirements, specified against each such item in column (3) of Schedule 1; and

  • “vehicle subject to type approval requirements” and “vehicle part subject to type approval requirements” have the meanings given to those expressions in Regulation 4.

2

A reference in these Regulations to a vehicle in category M1 is a reference to a vehicle described as M1 in Council Directive 71/320/EEC of 26th July 19717 and in ECE Regulation 13 of 29th May 1969, and a reference in these Regulations to a vehicle in category L5 is a reference to a vehicle described as L5 in ECE Regulation 13 of 29th May 1969.

3

For the purposes of these Regulations—

a

a motor vehicle is to be regarded as being manufactured on or after a particular date if it is first assembled on or after that date, even if it includes one or more parts which were manufactured before that date, and

b

the provisions of Regulation 3(2) of the Construction and Use Regulations shall apply for determining when a motor vehicle is first used.

4

Unless the context otherwise requires, any reference in these Regulations to—

a

a numbered Regulation or Schedule is a reference to the Regulation of or Schedule to these Regulations bearing that number, and

b

a numbered paragraph is a reference to the paragraph bearing that number in the Regulation in which that number appears, and

c

a numbered section is a reference to a section having that number in the Road Traffic Act 1972.