Public Service Vehicles (Conditions of Fitness, Equipment and Use) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

These Regulations amend the Public Service Vehicles (Conditions of Fitness, Equipment and Use) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1995 (“the 1995 Regulations”).

Regulation 42 of the 1995 Regulations requires every public service vehicle to carry a fire extinguisher which meets certain requirements. These requirements include a requirement that it must comply with the specification issued by the British Standards Institution number BS 5423: 1977, BS 5423: 1980 or BS 5423: 1987 and which meet one of two prescribed levels of test under such a specification.

Regulation 42 is amended so as to make it permissible for a public service vehicle to be used if it carries a fire extinguisher which does not meet the requirements under the British Standard specifications provided it meets the other requirements of regulation 42 and has an equivalent level of performance under a corresponding equivalent standard. These provisions are inserted in discharge of obligations under Article 30 of the Treaty of Rome (regulation 2(3)).

Regulation 43 of the 1995 Regulations requires a bus used for express or contract carriage to carry first aid equipment. The regulation is amended so as to exclude a bus used for contract carriage over a route which does not exceed a distance of 50 kilometres (regulation 2(4)).

Regulation 57 of the 1995 Regulations prohibits the removal of a fuel filler cap or the filling of a fuel tank while the engine of a vehicle is running. The regulation is substituted and the provision now applies only to a vehicle propelled by a petrol driven engine (regulation 2(6)).

Regulation 64 of the 1995 Regulations prohibits a vehicle from drawing a trailer except when an empty vehicle is being towed in an emergency. The regulation is substituted so that in such circumstances neither vehicle is permitted to have passengers on board (regulation 2(8)).

Regulation 2(2), (5), (7) and (9) make amendments of a drafting nature.

Copies of the British Standards can be obtained from the British Standards Institution, Customer Services Department, 389 Chiswick High Road, London W4 4AL. They can also be obtained from The Stationery Office, 16 Arthur Street, Belfast BT1 4GD.