Legal requirement for a speedometer

[Smart Roadster]

Quick question.
What legislation requires a car to be fitted with a working speedometer? A bloke at work has not had a working speedo for years and claims it is not a legal requirement. He drives like a granny so scameras are not an issue.

Ta

[gently bentley]

Smart Roadster said:

Quick question.
What legislation requires a car to be fitted with a working speedometer? A bloke at work has not had a working speedo for years and claims it is not a legal requirement. He drives like a granny so scameras are not an issue.

Ta

Construction and use regulations 1986 make the requirement for a working speedo to be fitted.

If you are found driving with one that is defective its an offence. The defence is that it broke during that journey or you are taking it to be repaired.

You can't flannell the bibs on this one because they have heard it all before.

[Dwight VanDriver]

Bloke sounds a bit of a dinosaur G.B. so his motor maybe pre 1.10.1937 in which case he is right - doesn't need one.

dvd

[Pigeon]

Does that give you a defence against a speeding charge? I rather like the thought of storming around in an ancient Bentley, blasting past speed cameras with carefree abandon while generating enough low-frequency exhaust rumble to shake the fixed cameras loose on their poles and make the operators of the mobiles lose their breakfast.

[gently bentley]

Dwight VanDriver said:

Bloke sounds a bit of a dinosaur G.B. so his motor maybe pre 1.10.1937 in which case he is right - doesn't need one.

dvd

He would get done with a section 1 for knocking down the boy with the red flag.

Next question.

[markda]

I assume his car is < 3 years old, else surely it would be an instant MOT failure!

[Smart Roadster]

Ta for the replies.
The bloke got quite upset when I told him and went off on one about how come he keeps passing his MOT.

[Goochie]

Smart Roadster said:

Ta for the replies.
The bloke got quite upset when I told him and went off on one about how come he keeps passing his MOT.

Because they dont road test most cars for the MOT so they may now notice the speedo is broken.

related to this, a friend of my fathers got caught by a speed camera in a 30 whilst driving his 1920's steam lorry! He thought he'd get away with it because he wasnt' legally obliged to have a speedo - but he was told it is the driver's responsibility to ensure the vehicle doesnt break the limit so he took the fine and the points.

[guru_1071]

dont you not need a speedo just a 'means to determine your speed' i.e a rev counter?

my race car doesnt even have a speedo fitted and sailed through its mot

i know that 1000 rmp in top = 14 (dependant of diff fitted) mph per 1000, so its a simple 2 x 14 = 28mph etc .

wouldnt fancy driving a everyday car like this though!

[justinp1]

Smart Roadster said:

Ta for the replies.
The bloke got quite upset when I told him and went off on one about how come he keeps passing his MOT.

It cant be the best MOT station then, as I am sure it is on the MOT list!

Though I guess many may 'assume' the speedo always works.

I remember taking my TVR to an MOT tester and watched him frantically drive backwards and forwards to try to get the speedo working!

He said he couldnt go fast enough to get it to work.

(I didnt have the heart to tell him that the speedo was indeed stuck on either zero or 200 a any one time....!)

I did also have the Road Angel in the car at the same time, so this may have been an interesting legal issue?

[Tunku]

I drove an old Volvo 740 around for years without a working speedometer, I used the rev counter and gears to guage my speed. It sailed through every MOT. The speedometer is definately not tested, hell, the mileage stayed the same from MOT to MOT, and nary a comment from the tester.

[Parrot of Doom]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BmNrv-9CmA