The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2001

Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2001 and shall come into force on 1st October 2001.

Preliminary

2.  The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986(1) shall be further amended in accordance with the following provisions of these Regulations.

Amendment of regulation 46 (Seat belt anchorage points)

3.  For regulation 46 there shall be substituted the regulation set out in the Schedule to these Regulations.

Amendment of regulation 47 (Seat belts)

4.—(1) Regulation 47 shall be amended as follows.

(2) In paragraph (2)—

(a) in sub-paragraph (c) for the words “regulation 46(4)(a)(ii) or (iii)” there shall be substituted “item 9 or 10 of the Table in regulation 46(3)”;

(b) in sub-paragraph (d) for the words “regulation 46(4)(a)(i)(B)” there shall be substituted “item 3 of the Table in regulation 46(3)”;

(c) in sub-paragraph (e) for the words “regulation 46(4A)(b)” there shall be substituted “item 6 of the Table in regulation 46(3)”; and

(d) at the end of sub-paragraph (e) there shall be inserted

“;

(f) item 5 of the Table in regulation 46(3) applies shall be fitted—

(i) as respects the driver’s seat with a three-point belt or a lap belt; and

(ii) as respects every other forward-facing front seat with a three-point belt, a lap belt installed in accordance with paragraph 3.1.2.1 of Annex I to Community Directive 77/541 or a disabled person’s belt;

(g) item 7 of the Table in regulation 46(3) applies shall be fitted, as respects every forward-facing seat, with—

(i) an inertia reel belt;

(ii) a retractable lap belt installed in compliance with paragraph 3.1.10 of Annex I to Community Directive 96/36 or 2000/3;

(iii) a disabled person’s belt; or

(iv) a child restraint;

(h) item 7 of the Table in regulation 46(3) applies shall be fitted, as respects every rearward-facing seat, with—

(i) an inertia reel belt;

(ii) a retractable lap belt;

(iii) a disabled person’s belt; or

(iv) a child restraint;

(i) item 8 of the Table in regulation 46(3), as respects every forward-facing seat, with—

(i) an inertia reel belt;

(ii) a disabled person’s belt; or

(iii) a child restraint;

(j) item 8 of the Table in regulation 46(3), as respects every rearward-facing seat, with—

(i) an inertia reel belt;

(ii) a retractable lap belt;

(iii) a disabled person’s belt; or

(iv) a child restraint.”

(3) In paragraph (3) for the words “paragraph (2)(b), (c), (d) or (e)” there shall be substituted “any of paragraphs (2)(b) to (j)” and from “or 82/319 to 96/36” there shall be substituted “, 82/319, 90/628, 96/36 or 2000/3”.

(4) In paragraph (4)—

(a) in sub-paragraph (a) for the words “section 16 of the 1971 Act” there shall be substituted “section 11 of the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994(2)”; and

(b) in sub-paragraph (e) for the words “regulation 46(4A)(a)” there shall be substituted “item 4 of the Table in regulation 46(3)”.

(5) After subparagraph (4), the following subparagraph shall be inserted—

“(4A) Vehicles constructed or adapted for the secure transport of prisoners shall not be required to comply with the requirements of paragraph (2) in relation to seats for persons other than the driver and any front seat passenger provided that those seats shall have seat belt anchorage points provided for them in accordance with regulation 46.”

(6) In paragraph (5) after the words “disabled person’s belt” there shall be inserted “first fitted before 1st October 2001”.

(7) In paragraph (7), after subparagraph (a) there shall be inserted—

• “; or

  (b)

  with an EC Component Type-Approval Mark complying with Annex III to Community Directive 2000/3”.

(8) In paragraph (8) after the definition of “lap belt” the following definition shall be inserted—

““retractable lap belt” means a lap belt with either an automatically locking retractor (as defined in paragraph 1.8.3 of Annex I to Community Directive 77/541) or an emergency locking retractor (as defined in paragraph 1.8.4 of Annex I to Community Directive 77/541).”

Amendment of regulation 48 (Maintenance of seat belts and anchorage points)

5.—(1) Regulation 48 shall be amended as follows.

(2) In paragraph (1) for “regulation 46(4A)(a)” there shall be substituted “regulation 46(3) and item 4 in the Table in that regulation”.

Amendment of regulation 48A (Minibuses and coaches to be fitted with additional seat belts when used in certain circumstances)

6.—(1) Regulation 48A shall be amended as follows.

(2) After paragraph (3) there shall be inserted—

“(3A) For the purposes of this regulation a rearward-facing seat shall be treated as a forward-facing seat which meets the requirements of this regulation if the coach or minibus concerned was first used on or after 1st October 2001, and the rearward-facing seat complies with the requirements of regulations 46 and 47.”

Amendment of Schedule 2 (Table I Community Directives)

7.  In column 2 of item 59 in Table I in Schedule 2 for “90/269” there shall be substituted “90/629”.

Amendment of Schedule 2 (Table II ECE Regulations)

8.  After the entry for item 6A in Table II in Schedule 2 there shall be inserted the following entries—

“6B	14.03	14	30.1.70	Anchorages for seat belts	29.1.92	—	—
6C	14.04	14	30.1.70	Anchorages for seat belts	18.1.98	—	—
6D	14.05	14	30.1.70	Anchorages for seat belts	4.2.99	—	—”

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State

Larry Whitty

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State,

Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions

14th March 2001