Seen this?
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smashy

Original Poster:

3,108 posts

185 months

danjama

5,728 posts

169 months

Sunday 2nd September 2012
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Saw it the other day on liveleak i believe.

Makes me wonder, are roll cages road legal? Would really like one in my next car.

PUA

1,060 posts

186 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
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holy st!!

CampDavid

9,145 posts

225 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
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danjama said:
Saw it the other day on liveleak i believe.

Makes me wonder, are roll cages road legal? Would really like one in my next car.
They are, however your insurance will be a pain to organise.

It's also worth bearing in mind that you need to really have a race seat, a harness and a lid to make them work. Braining yourself on the cage bars kind of makes them more dangerous than without if you haven't got all the other gear and it's illegal to wear a lid on the road

Cyder

7,185 posts

247 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
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CampDavid said:
danjama said:
Saw it the other day on liveleak i believe.

Makes me wonder, are roll cages road legal? Would really like one in my next car.
They are, however your insurance will be a pain to organise.

It's also worth bearing in mind that you need to really have a race seat, a harness and a lid to make them work. Braining yourself on the cage bars kind of makes them more dangerous than without if you haven't got all the other gear and it's illegal to wear a lid on the road
Is it? scratchchin

Source please.

kambites

71,222 posts

248 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
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I've seen lots of people driving on the road wearing a helmet, so if it's illegal for some reason it's clearly not enforced.

CampDavid

9,145 posts

225 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
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Cyder said:
CampDavid said:
danjama said:
Saw it the other day on liveleak i believe.

Makes me wonder, are roll cages road legal? Would really like one in my next car.
They are, however your insurance will be a pain to organise.

It's also worth bearing in mind that you need to really have a race seat, a harness and a lid to make them work. Braining yourself on the cage bars kind of makes them more dangerous than without if you haven't got all the other gear and it's illegal to wear a lid on the road
Is it? scratchchin

Source please.
Try it and see.

I don't know of any law specifically against it, I do know however:

1. People have been nicked on the assumption that they're road racing.

2. It inhibits the identification of the driver in the same way window tints do

3. It a driver is wearing a lid and the passenger isn't and there heads clash in a side impact, the results won't be pretty.

In practise, if you were to wear one in a Caterfield then you're not going to get stopped, however if you're driving through town in a modified Corsa with a lid on they'll take an interest.

Cyder

7,185 posts

247 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
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Ah ok, so it's not illegal then.

ETA, I am with you on your point about cage/seats/harnesses all together or nothing at all.

On the helmet front, if the seat is low enough and your belts are done up tight enough you can be ok, in the rally car my head is about 6 inches below the cage.

CampDavid

9,145 posts

225 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
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Cyder said:
Ah ok, so it's not illegal then.
I hope it feels good to be right. There is nothing more exhilarating than pointing out the shortcomings of others, is there?


tog

4,934 posts

255 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
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CampDavid said:
2. It inhibits the identification of the driver in the same way window tints do
I thought that front window tints being illegal was because you can't see out at night.

Cyder

7,185 posts

247 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
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CampDavid said:
Cyder said:
Ah ok, so it's not illegal then.
I hope it feels good to be right. There is nothing more exhilarating than pointing out the shortcomings of others, is there?
It gives me an enormous sense of well-being correcting made up internet "facts".

I just gave myself a pat on the back and a round of applause. biggrin

johnnyBv8

2,481 posts

218 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
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CampDavid said:
Cyder said:
Ah ok, so it's not illegal then.
I hope it feels good to be right. There is nothing more exhilarating than pointing out the shortcomings of others, is there?
Aww, bless you David; did the nasty man disagree with you?! You should be allowed to make up anything and state it unchallenged as fact, so that anyone seeking to gain any genuine information via Pistonheads is thwarted...

Sometimes people question things to find out an answer - rather than to argue for the sake of it! I didn't know whether it was illegal or not to wear a helmet on the road, but was interested to know.




CampDavid

9,145 posts

225 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
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johnnyBv8 said:
CampDavid said:
Cyder said:
Ah ok, so it's not illegal then.
I hope it feels good to be right. There is nothing more exhilarating than pointing out the shortcomings of others, is there?
Aww, bless you David; did the nasty man disagree with you?! You should be allowed to make up anything and state it unchallenged as fact, so that anyone seeking to gain any genuine information via Pistonheads is thwarted...

Sometimes people question things to find out an answer - rather than to argue for the sake of it! I didn't know whether it was illegal or not to wear a helmet on the road, but was interested to know.
The irony is that I'm the only one in the thread so far who's posted something valid, the rest of the posts, including yours, are only seeking to cause an argument.

My understanding is that it's still not legal to wear a lid on the road. I was told this by someone with some legel experience (a JP) when discussng the idea of fitting a cage to one of my cars. I'm 6f2 and the idea of driving a car with a bar 2 inches from the side of my head didn't overly appeal. He told me that it was illegal. In hindsight, instead of taking this information at face value I should have made him get the books out so we could check verse and chapter. Silly me.

In practise I don't know of anyone who's been stopped in a kit car wearing a lid. On the other hand, if the police don't like the look of you/your car/your driving I'd imagine the subject of head gear would be bought up.

The Nur

9,168 posts

212 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
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CampDavid said:
3. It a driver is wearing a lid and the passenger isn't and there heads clash in a side impact, the results won't be pretty.
There are all sorts of things wrong with the above.

johnnyBv8

2,481 posts

218 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
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CampDavid said:
The irony is that I'm the only one in the thread so far who's posted something valid, the rest of the posts, including yours, are only seeking to cause an argument.
There's nothing ironic, other than perhaps your argumentative response! I'm not trying to cause an argument; I was genuinely interested as to whether wearing a lid on the road is illegal, as were others. Surely you can see why your statement was questioned?! If you don't really know either way, that's fine - but then don't state it as fact and get in a huff when someone asks you about it!

CampDavid said:
it's illegal to wear a lid on the road
CampDavid said:
I don't know of any law specifically against it
CampDavid said:
My understanding is that it's still not legal to wear a lid on the road.

redgriff500

28,982 posts

290 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
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Friend of a friend had an accident in an MX5.

It was his track car so had a cage.

He rolled it and the cage stood up well.

Unfortunately in the roll his head hit the cage and he was killed.

Would he have survived the roll without it - who knows.

carreauchompeur

18,308 posts

231 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
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Jeez, that's an unfriendly run-off area!

I think cages have their place but do create their own issues- Adding some structural/roll-over integrity to an otherwise fairly fragile car- Like an MX5 for instance or something fibreglass- Is a good thing. However to a modern car with crumple zones etc I would think it would "interfere" in most crashes not extreme enough to involve rolling,etc.

jon-

16,534 posts

243 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
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carreauchompeur said:
However to a modern car with crumple zones etc I would think it would "interfere" in most crashes not extreme enough to involve rolling,etc.
A rollcage builds a safety cell around the passenger compartment. Assuming my head couldn't strike the cage, I'd rather be in a crash with a rollcage than without, 100% of the time.

carreauchompeur

18,308 posts

231 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
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Fair comment, but most modern cars have "safety cells" and building in solid metalwork which isn't designed in wouldn't necessarily enhance how the car kinetically reacts when under extreme load.

CampDavid

9,145 posts

225 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
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doogz said:
I've been told a helmet is illegal in a road car. By a cop that pulled me over one day for something else, and I asked him about it, and also by a mate that was pulled for wearing one on the way to the track in his aero screened Westfield. Apparently a wasp to the forehead at 70mph hurts like hell, so he used to wear his lid, until he was pulled and made to take it off.

Utterly daft if you ask me.
Meh, sounds like "fact" to me.

Waste of a thread