The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986

Sideguards

51.—(1) Save as provided in paragraph (2), this regulation applies to a wheeled goods vehicle being—

(a) a motor vehicle first used on or after 1st April 1984 with a maximum gross weight which exceeds 3500 kg; or

(b) a trailer manufactured on or after 1st May 1983 with an unladen weight which exceeds 1020 kg; or

(c) a semi-trailer manufactured before 1st May 1983 which has a relevant plate showing a gross weight exceeding 26,000 kg and which forms part of an articulated vehicle with a relevant train weight exceeding 32,520 kg.

(2) This regulation does not apply to—

(a) a motor vehicle which has a maximum speed not exceeding 15 mph;

(b) an agricultural trailer;

(c) engineering plant;

(d) a fire engine;

(e) an agricultural motor vehicle;

(f) a vehicle so constructed that it can be unloaded by part of the vehicle being tipped sideways or rearwards;

(g) a vehicle owned by the Secretary of State for Defence and used for naval, military or air force purposes;

(h) a vehicle to which no bodywork has been fitted and which is being driven or towed—

(i) for the purpose of a quality or safety check by its manufacturer or a dealer in, or distributor of, such vehicles;

(ii) to a place where, by previous arrangement, bodywork is to be fitted or work preparatory to the fitting of bodywork is to be carried out; or

(iii) by previous arrangement to premises of a dealer in, or distributor of, such vehicles;

(i) a vehicle which is being driven or towed to a place where by previous arrangement a sideguard is to be fitted so that it complies with this regulation;

(j) a refuse vehicle;

(k) a trailer specially designed and constructed, and not merely adapted, to carry round timber, beams or girders, being items of exceptional length;

(l) a motor car or a heavy motor car constructed or adapted to form part of an articulated vehicle;

(m) a vehicle specially designed and constructed, and not merely adapted, to carry other vehicles loaded onto it from the front or the rear;

(n) a trailer with a load platform—

(i) no part of any edge of which is more than 60 mm inboard from the tangential plane; and

(ii) the upper surface of which is not more than 750 mm from the ground throughout that part of its length under which a sideguard would have to be fitted in accordance with paragraph (5)(d) to (g) if this exemption did not apply to it;

(o) a trailer having a base or centre in a country outside Great Britain from which it normally starts its journeys, provided that a period of not more than 12 months has elapsed since the vehicle was last brought into Great Britain; or

(p) an agricultural trailed appliance.

(3) Every vehicle to which this regulation applies shall be securely fitted with a sideguard to give protection on any side of the vehicle where—

(a) if it is a semi-trailer, the distance between the transverse planes passing through the centre of its foremost axle and through the centre of its king pin or, in the case of a vehicle having more than one king pin, the rearmost one, exceeds 4.5 m; or

(b) if it is any other vehicle, the distance between the centres of any two consecutive axles exceeds 3 m.

(4) Save as provided in paragraphs (6) and (7), a sideguard with which a vehicle is by this regulation required to be fitted shall comply with all the specifications listed in paragraph (5).

(5) Those specifications are—

(a) the outermost surface of every sideguard shall be smooth, essentially rigid and either flat or horizontally corrugated, save that—

(i) any part of the surface may overlap another provided that the overlapping edges face rearwards or downwards;

(ii) a gap not exceeding 25 mm measured longitudinally may exist between any two adjacent parts of the surface provided that the foremost edge of the rearward part does not protrude outboard of the rearmost edge of the forward part; and

(iii) domed heads of bolts or rivets may protrude beyond the surface to a distance not exceeding 10 mm;

(b) no part of the lowest edge of a sideguard shall be more than 550 mm above the ground when the vehicle to which it is fitted is on level ground and, in the case of a semi-trailer, when its load platform is horizontal;

(c) in a case specified in an item in column 2 of the Table the highest edge of a sideguard shall be as specified in that item in column 3;

(d) the distance between the rearmost edge of a sideguard and the transverse plane passing through the foremost part of the tyre fitted to the wheel of the vehicle nearest to it shall not exceed 300 mm;

(e) the distance between the foremost edge of a sideguard fitted to a semi-trailer and a transverse plane passing through the centre of the vehicle's king pin or, if the vehicle has more than one king pin, the rearmost one, shall not exceed 3 m;

(f) the foremost edge of a sideguard fitted to a semi-trailer with landing legs shall, as well as complying with sub-paragraph (e), not be more than 250 mm to the rear of a transverse plane passing through the centre of the leg nearest to that edge;

(g) the distance between the foremost edge of a sideguard fitted to a vehicle other than a semi-trailer and a transverse plane passing through the rearmost part of the tyre fitted to the wheel of the vehicle nearest to it shall not exceed 300 mm if the vehicle is a motor vehicle and 500 mm if the vehicle is a trailer;

(h) the external edges of a sideguard shall be rounded at a radius of at least 2.5 mm;

(i) no sideguard shall be more than 30 mm inboard from the tangential plane;

(j) no sideguard shall project beyond the longitudinal plane from which, in the absence of a sideguard, the vehicle's overall width would fall to be measured;

(k) every sideguard shall cover an area extending to at least 100 mm upwards from its lowest edge 100 mm downwards from its highest edge, and 100 mm rearwards and inwards from its foremost edge, and no sideguard shall have a vertical gap measuring more than 300 mm nor any vertical surface measuring less than 100 mm; and

(l) except in the case of a vehicle described in paragraph (1) (c) every sideguard shall be capable of withstanding a force of 2 kilonewtons applied perpendicularly to any part of its surface by the centre of a ram the face of which is circular and not more than 220 mm in diameter, and during such application—

(i) no part of the sideguard shall be deflected by more than 150 mm, and

(ii) no part of the sideguard which is less than 250 mm from its rearmost part shall be deflected by more than 30 mm.

TABLE

(regulation 51(5))

1	2	3
Item	Case	Requirement about highest edge of sideguard
1	Where the floor of the vehicle to which the sideguard is fitted— (i) extends laterally outside the tangential plane; (ii) is not more than 1.85 m from the ground; (iii) extends laterally over the whole of the length of the sideguard with which the vehicle is required by this regulation to be fitted; and (iv) is wholly covered at its edge by a side-rave the lower edge of which is not more than 150 mm below the underside of the floor.	Not more than 350 mm below the lower edge of the side-rave.
2	Where the floor of the vehicle to which the sideguard is fitted— (i) extends laterally outside the tangential plane; and (ii) does not comply with all of the provisions specified in sub-paragraphs (ii), (iii) and (iv) in item 1 above, and any part of the structure of the vehicle is cut within 1.85 m of the ground by the tangential plane.	Not more than 350 mm below the structure of the vehicle where it is cut by the tangential plane.
3	Where— (i) no part of the structure of the vehicle is cut within 1.85 m of the ground by the tangential plane; and (ii) the upper surface of the load carrying structure of the vehicle is less than 1.5 m from the ground.	Not less than the height of the upper surface of the load carrying structure of the vehicle.
4	A vehicle specially designed, and not merely adapted, for the carriage and mixing of liquid concrete.	Not less than 1 m from the ground.
5	Any other case.	Not less than 1.5 m from the ground.

(6) The provisions of paragraph (4) apply—

(a) in the case of an extendible trailer when it is, by virtue of the extending mechanism, extended to a length greater than its minimum, so as not to require, in respect of any additional distance solely attributable to the extension, compliance with the specifications mentioned in paragraph (5) (d) to (g);

(b) in the case of a vehicle designed and constructed, and not merely adapted, to be fitted with a demountable body or to carry a container, when it is not fitted with a demountable body or carrying such a container as if it were fitted with such a body or carrying such a container; and

(c) only so far as it is practicable in the case of—

(i) a vehicle designed solely for the carriage of a fluid substance in a closed tank which is permanently fitted to the vehicle and provided with valves and hose or pipe connections for loading or unloading; and

(ii) a vehicle which requires additional stability during loading or unloading or while being used for operations for which it is designed or adapted and is fitted on one or both sides with an extendible device to provide such stability.

(7) In the case of a motor vehicle to which this regulation applies and which is of a type which was required to be approved by the Type Approval for Goods Vehicles Regulations before 1st October 1983—

(a) if the bodywork of the vehicle covers the whole of the area specified as regards a sideguard in paragraph (5)(b), (c), (d) and (g) above the other provisions of that paragraph do not apply to that vehicle; and

(b) if the bodywork of the vehicle covers only part of that area the part of that area which is not so covered shall be fitted with a sideguard which complies with the provisions of paragraph (5) above save that there shall not be a gap between—

(i) the rearmost edge of the sideguard or the rearmost part of the bodywork (whichever is furthest to the rear) and the transverse plane mentioned in paragraph (5)(d) of more than 300 mm;

(ii) the foremost edge of the sideguard or the foremost part of the bodywork (whichever is furthest to the front) and the transverse plane mentioned in paragraph (5)(g) of more than 300 mm; or

(iii) any vertical or sloping edge of any part of the bodywork in question and the edge of the sideguard immediately forwards or rearwards thereof of more than 25 mm measured horizontally.

(8) In this regulation

“relevant plate” means a Ministry plate, where fitted, and in other cases a plate fitted in accordance with regulation 66;

“relevant train weight” means the train weight shown in column 2 of the Ministry plate, where fitted, and in other cases the maximum train weight shown at item 8 of the plate fitted in accordance with regulation 66; and

“tangential plane”, in relation to a sideguard, means the vertical plane tangential to the external face of the outermost part of the tyre (excluding any distortion caused by the weight of the vehicle) fitted to the outermost wheel at the rear and on the same side of the vehicle.