The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986

PART I E+W+S

Advance notice to Police E+W+S

1.—(a) Before using on a road a vehicle or vehicles to which this paragraph applies, the owner shall give notice of the intended use to the Chief Officer of Police for any area in which he proposes to use the vehicle or vehicles. The notice shall be given so that it is received by the date after which there are at least two working days before the date on which the use of the vehicle or vehicles is to begin, and shall include the following details—

(i) time, date and route of the proposed journey, and

[F1 (ia) in a case to which regulation 7(9) applies, the overall length of the trailer,]

(ii) in a case to which regulation 82(2) applies, the overall length and width of the vehicle by which the load is carried and the width of the lateral projection or projections of its load,

(iii) in a case to which regulation 82(4)(a) applies, the overall length and width of each vehicle by which the load is carried, the length of any forward or rearward projection and, where the load rests on more than one vehicle, the distance between the vehicles,

(iv) in a case to which regulation 82(4)(b) applies, the overall length of the combination of vehicles and the length of any forward or rearward projection of the load, and

(v) in a case to which regulation 82(7) and (8) applies, the overall length of the vehicle and the length of any forward or rearward projection of the load or special appliance or apparatus.

The Chief Officer of Police for any police area may, at his discretion, accept a shorter period of notice or fewer details.

(b) The vehicle or vehicles shall be used only in accordance with the details at (a) subject to any variation in the time, date or route which may be directed by—

(i) any such Chief Officer of Police to the owner of the vehicle or vehicles, or

(ii) a police constable to the driver in the interests of road safety or in order to avoid undue traffic congestion by halting the vehicle or vehicles in a place on or adjacent to the road on which the vehicle or vehicles are travelling.

(c) In this paragraph—

(i) “Chief Officer of Police” has, in relation to England and Wales, the same meaning as in the Police Act 1964, and in relation to Scotland, [F2 means the chief constable of the Police Service of Scotland],

(ii) “working day” means a day which is not a Sunday, a bank holiday, Christmas Day or Good Friday, and

(iii) “bank holiday” means a day which is a bank holiday by or under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971, either generally or in the locality in which the road is situated.

Textual Amendments

F1 Sch. 12 para. 1(a)(ia) inserted (17.10.1991) by The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 1991 (S.I. 1991/2125), regs. 1, 6

F2 Words in Sch. 12 para. 1(c)(i) substituted (1.4.2013) by The Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 (Consequential Provisions and Modifications) Order 2013 (S.I. 2013/602), art. 1(2), Sch. 2 para. 68

Commencement Information

I1 Sch. 12 para. 1 in force at 11.8.1986, see reg. 1

Attendants E+W+S

2.  At least one person in addition to the person or persons employed in driving a motor vehicle to which this paragraph applies shall be employed—

(a) in attending to that vehicle and its load and any other vehicle or vehicles drawn by that vehicle and the load or loads carried on the vehicle or vehicles so drawn, and

(b) to give warning to the driver of the said motor vehicle and to any person of any danger likely to be caused to any such other person by reason of the presence of the said vehicle or vehicles on the road.

Provided that, where three or more vehicles as respects which the conditions in this paragraph are applicable are travelling together in convoy, it shall be a sufficient compliance with this paragraph if only the foremost and rearmost vehicles in the convoy are attended in the manner prescribed in this paragraph.

For the purpose of this paragraph when a motor vehicle is drawing a trailer or trailers—

(i) any person employed in pursuance of section 34 of the 1972 Act in attending that vehicle or any such trailer shall be treated as being an attendant required by this paragraph so long as he is also employed to discharge the duties mentioned in this paragraph; and

(ii) when another motor vehicle is used for the purpose of assisting in their propulsion on the road, the person or persons employed in driving that other motor vehicle shall not be treated as a person or persons employed in attending to the first-mentioned vehicle or any vehicle or vehicles drawn thereby.

Commencement Information

I2 Sch. 12 para. 2 in force at 11.8.1986, see reg. 1

Marking of longer projections E+W+S

3.—(a) Every forward and rearward projection to which this paragraph applies shall be fitted with—

(i) an end marker, except in the case of a rearward projection which is fitted with a rear marking in accordance with the Lighting Regulations, and

(ii) where required by sub-paragraphs (c) and (d) of this paragraph, two or more side markers;

which shall be of the size, shape and colour described in Part II of this Schedule.

(b) the end marker shall be so fitted that—

(i) it is as near as is practicable in a transverse plane,

(ii) it is not more than 0.5 m from the extreme end of the projection,

(iii) the vertical distance between the lowest point of the marker and the road surface is not more than 2.5 m,

(iv) it, and any means by which it is fitted to the projection, impedes the view of the driver as little as possible, and

(v) it is clearly visible within a reasonable distance to a person using the road at the end of the vehicle from which the projection extends;

(c) where the forward projection exceeds 2 m or the rearward projection exceeds 3 m, one side marker shall be fitted on the right hand side and one on the left hand side of the projection so that—

(i) each marker is as near as is practicable in a longitudinal plane,

(ii) no part extends beyond the end of the projection,

(iii) the vertical distance between the lowest part of each marker and the surface of the road is not more than 2.5 m,

(iv) the horizontal distance between each marker and the end marker or, as the case may be, the rear marking carried in accordance with the Lighting Regulations does not exceed 1 m, and

(v) each marker is clearly visible within a reasonable distance to a person using the road on that side of the projection;

(d) where—

(i) a forward projection exceeds 4.5 m, or

(ii) a rearward projection exceeds 5 m

extra side markers shall be fitted on either side of the projection so that the horizontal distance between the extreme projecting point of the vehicle from which the projection extends and the nearest point on any side marker from that point, and between the nearest points of any adjacent side markers on the same side does not exceed—

• 2.5 m in the case of a forward projection, or

• 3.5 m in the case of a rearward projection.

For the purposes of this sub-paragraph the expression “the vehicle” shall not include any special appliance or apparatus or any part thereof which is a forward projection or a rearward projection within the meaning of regulation 81;

(e) the extra side markers required by this sub-paragraph shall also meet the requirements of (i), (iii) and (v) of sub-paragraph (c);

(f) every marker fitted in accordance with this paragraph shall be kept clean and unobscured and [F3 between sunset and sunrise] be illuminated by a lamp which renders it readily visible from a reasonable distance and which is so shielded that its light, except as reflected from the marker, is not visible to other persons using the road.

Textual Amendments

F3 Words in Sch. 12 para. 3(f) substituted (17.10.1991) by The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 1991 (S.I. 1991/2125), regs. 1, 9(2)

Commencement Information

I3 Sch. 12 para. 3 in force at 11.8.1986, see reg. 1

Marking of shorter projections E+W+S

4.   A projection to which this paragraph applies shall be rendered clearly visible to other persons using the road within a reasonable distance, in the case of a forward projection, from the front thereof or, in the case of a rearward projection, from the rear thereof and, in either case, from either side thereof.

Commencement Information

I4 Sch. 12 para. 4 in force at 11.8.1986, see reg. 1

[F4 Marking of wide loads E+W+S

5.

 (a) Subject to sub-paragraph (d), every load carried on a vehicle in circumstances where this paragraph applies shall be fitted on each side and in the prescribed manner, with—

(i) a prescribed marker in such a position that it is visible from the front of the vehicle, and

(ii) a prescribed marker in such a position that it is visible from the rear of the vehicle,

(b) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (a)—

(i) a marker on a side of the load is fitted in the prescribed manner if at least part of it is within 50mm of a longitudinal plane passing through the point on that side of the load which is furthest from the axis of the vehicle; and

(ii) a prescribed marker is a marker of the size, shape and colour described in Part II of this Schedule.

(c) Every marker fitted pursuant to this paragraph shall be kept clean and between sunset and sunrise be illuminated by a lamp which renders it readily visible from a reasonable distance and which is so shielded that its light, except as reflected from the marker, is not visible to other persons using the road.

(d) If the load does not extend beyond the longitudinal plane passing through the extreme projecting point on one side of the vehicle, it shall not be necessary for a marker to be fitted to the load on that side.]

Textual Amendments

F4 Sch. 12 para. 5 inserted (17.10.1991) by The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 1991 (S.I. 1991/2125), regs. 1, 9(1)