Road Traffic (Construction, Equipment and Use of Vehicles) (Amendment) Regulations, 1971.

• Jurisdiction: Ireland
• Citation: IR SI 96/1971
• Year: 1971

S.I. No. 96 of 1971.

ROAD TRAFFIC (CONSTRUCTION, EQUIPMENT AND USE OF VEHICLES) (AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS, 1971.

The Minister for Local Government in exercise of the powers conferred on him by sections 5 and 11 of the Road Traffic Act, 1961 , (No. 24 of 1961) hereby makes the following Regulations: 1. (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Road Traffic (Construction, Equipment and Use of Vehicles) (Amendment) Regulations, 1971.

(2) The Road Traffic (Construction, Equipment and Use of Vehicles) Regulations, 1963 to 1970 and these Regulations shall be construed as one and may be cited together as the Road Traffic (Construction, Equipment and Use of Vehicles) Regulations, 1963 to 1971. 2. In these Regulations—

"adjusting device" means a device, which may be part of the buckle or be a retractor other than a non-locking retractor, enabling a safety belt to be adjusted according to the requirements of the individual wearer and the position of the seat;

"the Agreement of 1958" means the United Nations Agreement Concerning The Adoption Of Uniform Conditions Of Approval and Reciprocal Recognition Of Approval For Motor Vehicle Equipment And Parts, done at Geneva on 20th March, 1958;

"anchorage point" means the part of the vehicle structure to which a safety belt attachment may be secured;

"approved standard mark" means any of the marks set out in Column 2 or Column 3 of the Second Schedule to these Regulations;

"national standard" means a standard applying in relation to an item of vehicle equipment in any of the countries set out in Column 1 of the Second Schedule to these Regulations;

"Regulation No. 14" means Regulation No. 14 as set out in United Nations document of reference E/ECE/324: Rev. 1/Add. 13, dated 30 January, 1970 and annexed to the Agreement of 1958;

"Regulation No. 16" means Regulation No. 16 as set out in United Nations document of reference E/ECE/324: Rev. 1/Add. 15, dated 14 August, 1970 and annexed to the Agreement of 1958;

"Regulation No. 17" means Regulation No. 17 as set out in United Nations document of reference E/ECE/324: Rev. 1/Add. 16, dated 14 August, 1970 and annexed to the Agreement of 1958;

"retractor" means a device to accommodate part or the whole of the strap of a safety belt;

"safety belt" means a safety belt as defined in sub-paragraph 2.1 of Regulation No. 16. 3. (1) A vehicle to which this article applies shall be equipped with anchorage points for safety belts for use by persons in the front seats of the vehicle.

(2) The anchorage points referred to in sub-article (1) of this article shall save as provided in sub-article (3) of this article comply with—

(a) the requirements of paragraphs 5 and 6 and related annexes of Regulation No. 14, or

(b) a national standard for such anchorage points.

(3) Where the anchorage points referred to in sub-article (1) of this article are an integral part of the seat structure the total seat installation shall be capable of withstanding the following forces applied simultaneously in a forward longitudinal direction—

(a) the appropriate test loads for anchorage points and seat anchorages prescribed in Regulation No. 14 and Regulation No. 17 respectively; or

(b) the appropriate test loads prescribed in a national standard for anchorage points fitted as an integral part of the seat structure.

(4) A vehicle to which this article applies shall be legibly and permanently marked with one of the approved standard marks set out in Column 3 of the Second Schedule to these Regulations.

(5) Subject to sub-article (6) this article applies—

(a) to every passenger vehicle and station wagon having passenger accommodation for not more than eight persons exclusive of the driver, first registered on or after the 1st day of June, 1971, and

(b) to every goods vehicle not exceeding 30 cwts. in weight unladen first registered on or after the 1st day of June, 1971.

(6) This article shall not apply to electrically propelled goods vehicles which are not capable of exceeding a speed of 24 miles per hour on a dry level road under normal atmospheric conditions. 4. (1) A vehicle to which this article applies shall be fitted with—

(a) a safety belt for use by the driver of the vehicle, and

(b) a safety belt for use by a passenger—

(i) in the case of a vehicle which has one forward-facing front seat alongside the driver's...