A question on dashboards and legality
Discussion
I've just been stopped on the way home by a (fairly pleasant to be fair) policeman. The stop was because he thought I was using a phone whilst driving however upon arriving at my drivers side window he realised it was the backlight on the dash display he had seen.
He went on to say that it wasn't legal to have something covering my view of the instruments and it wasn't legal to have "things like that which could be a distraction in the drivers line of sight". I was told he wouldn't take any further action but that I should remove it. There was a brief discussion where I mentioned as far as I was aware a gauge, display or screen showing information relating to the status or operation of the vehicle was perfectly legal and what was the difference between this display or the one in most current Mercs which floated in the centre of the dash and showed infotainment and vehicle information however that didn't seem to be a discussion he was keen to continue and I wasn't particularily keen on failing the attiude test!
I've just had a quick flick through the IVA manual and the construction and use regs but can't find anything that would prohibit this, does anyone know of a regulation or ruling on this which would make the current setup unfit for road use? If so it's time to gut a spare set of clocks and build the display inside them! For reference all the items requires by law to be present and working are visible and operational as they would be in a standard car.
All advice greatfully recieved!
He went on to say that it wasn't legal to have something covering my view of the instruments and it wasn't legal to have "things like that which could be a distraction in the drivers line of sight". I was told he wouldn't take any further action but that I should remove it. There was a brief discussion where I mentioned as far as I was aware a gauge, display or screen showing information relating to the status or operation of the vehicle was perfectly legal and what was the difference between this display or the one in most current Mercs which floated in the centre of the dash and showed infotainment and vehicle information however that didn't seem to be a discussion he was keen to continue and I wasn't particularily keen on failing the attiude test!
I've just had a quick flick through the IVA manual and the construction and use regs but can't find anything that would prohibit this, does anyone know of a regulation or ruling on this which would make the current setup unfit for road use? If so it's time to gut a spare set of clocks and build the display inside them! For reference all the items requires by law to be present and working are visible and operational as they would be in a standard car.
All advice greatfully recieved!
SantaBarbara said:
They are not Idiotic actually
They are.The reason for the laws are obvious and agreed is required. Its their implementation thats the issue.
Parked up at the side of the road, engine running, out of gear, handbrake on - get a fine? I think thats the definition of idiotic in anyones books!
Boosted LS1 said:
I think you need to be able to see the speedo and that's about it.
That's my understanding also.RV C and U Regs 1986 said:
36. (1) Every instrument for indicating speed fitted to a motor vehicle -
<..snip..>
shall be kept free from any obstruction which might prevent its being easily read..
<..snip..>
shall be kept free from any obstruction which might prevent its being easily read..
SS2. said:
Boosted LS1 said:
I think you need to be able to see the speedo and that's about it.
That's my understanding also.RV C and U Regs 1986 said:
36. (1) Every instrument for indicating speed fitted to a motor vehicle -
<..snip..>
shall be kept free from any obstruction which might prevent its being easily read..
<..snip..>
shall be kept free from any obstruction which might prevent its being easily read..
Boosted LS1 said:
I think you need to be able to see the speedo and that's about it.
How does this work regarding head up displays? My car has a "night panel" button, which turns everything out except for the speedo needle, which for some reason changes colour from red to white and becomes a fixed brightness at 50%, which at night is too bright. So I made a little mask thing which wedges over the speedo, I just put it in place during long night drives and then get all my information via the head up display instead.
Is this technically illegal? I still have my speed readout, just that it comes via a HUD and the "standard" readout is covered as it's too bright.
Have all the murders and other crimes been solved as this nonsense seems to have increased.
The amount of times over the past week I've read of people being collared because a plod from some distance away thought they saw them on a phone.
In one case the driver was simply holding a packet of tic tacs.
The amount of times over the past week I've read of people being collared because a plod from some distance away thought they saw them on a phone.
In one case the driver was simply holding a packet of tic tacs.
Hell Yeah. I once got pulled for not having any tax. In actual fact, I'd just had the car MOT'd (pass timed <30 minutes earlier) and had just stopped off at the PO to buy the tax on my way home as well. He started off stroppy and just got stroppier with me when I handed all possible and relevant paperwork to him - which culminated in the quote "I have to obey the law, too, you know". Was clearly peeved I wasn't the obvious win he hoped.You win some, you lose some.
With hindsight, I can't believe the damn thing had passed - but it had.
With hindsight, I can't believe the damn thing had passed - but it had.
cmaguire said:
Forget it.
You were just another candidate to fall foul of our current idiotic mobile phone laws, so when it transpired that you weren't the easy collar expected you got some waffle to save face.
You were just another candidate to fall foul of our current idiotic mobile phone laws, so when it transpired that you weren't the easy collar expected you got some waffle to save face.
Look at it another way - seatbelt legislation worked. Few people nowadays don't wear seat belts. Mobile phone use while driving is a real problem, not an imaginary one. At present the enforcement regime isn't working. A few here will relate tales of false accusations of phone use, but there are still lots of people actually using their phones in a way that is potentially dangerous and getting away with it. There needs to be a culture change. It used to be culturally acceptable to drink and drive. Now it isn't.
Breadvan72 said:
Look at it another way - seatbelt legislation worked. Few people nowadays don't wear seat belts. Mobile phone use while driving is a real problem, not an imaginary one. At present the enforcement regime isn't working. A few here will relate tales of false accusations of phone use, but there are still lots of people actually using their phones in a way that is potentially dangerous and getting away with it. There needs to be a culture change. It used to be culturally acceptable to drink and drive. Now it isn't.
A few used to relate tales of false accusations about seat belt use.BlueHave said:
Have all the murders and other crimes been solved as this nonsense seems to have increased.
The amount of times over the past week I've read of people being collared because a plod from some distance away thought they saw them on a phone.
In one case the driver was simply holding a packet of tic tacs.
This bothers me a lot; my phone lives in the glovebox when I'm driving and bluetooths my music and phone calls. However all it takes is one copper who is in a bad mood and who thinks someone like me (ie. some normal bloke who will give him no backchat) is easy meat to say he saw me on a phone and bang! I've got six points and won't be getting insurance anytime soon. Wonder if a driver facing dashcam is a good idea?The amount of times over the past week I've read of people being collared because a plod from some distance away thought they saw them on a phone.
In one case the driver was simply holding a packet of tic tacs.
As to the OP - nothing wrong with your display - copper saw you weren't on the phone and had to "say something", you knew it and he knew it, hence his not wanting to discuss the matter further.
vonhosen said:
A few used to relate tales of false accusations about seat belt use.
That particular legislation bears no comparison to the mobile phone dog's dinner though.And irrespective of whether you agree or disagree with seat belt laws, or are then convicted of breaking them rightly or wrongly, the punishment is proportionate to the offence. i.e. a trivial offence. And thus easier to swallow if you didn't deserve it.
You lot are paranoid. Police officers do not go around looking for Mr Joe Public to frame up on a dodgy mobile phone bust. This thread itself ought to do something to dispel your paranoia. An officer mistakenly thought he had seen a phone in use. He backed off when he saw the error. He did a bit of CYA by burbling on about the instruments, but no harm has come to anyone.
If the police are stopping you based on seeing a bright light in your cabin that they think might be a phone, you need to turn that light down. I expect your vision is limited in dark conditions because of the glare. Most cars have a control for dimming the instruments for night driving. Try it, you'll be surprised at what you were missing.
poppopbangbang said:
t didn't seem to be a discussion he was keen to continue ...
Probably a combination of he probably DID have something better to do than discuss this, and he may have spotted that he didn't really know what he was talking about and you weren't prepared to accept whatever he decided was law.
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