Safe Speed Forums

I always though (and still think) that the regs regarding speedometers said that must NOT under-read at all and must not over read by a percentage (which I forget) at a certain speed (is it 30mph?).

I have (please god forgive me) a friend in the CPS who was stating adamantly in the pub the speedos must be within 10% either at 30mph.

Given the so-and-so also prosecutes speeding cases and thinks Gatsos are absolutely reliable, PLEASE can someone point to the exact regs so I can shut the bugger up?? (He currently has 6 points though )

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I won't slave for beggar's pay,
likewise gold and jewels,
but I would slave to learn the way
to sink your ship of fools

I am willing to be corrected, but AFAIK the only check on speedos is the QA check when the car leaves the factory, which I believe most manufacturers abide by the 0% at 30 and max 10% over read at 70mph. I think it is a voluntary agreement though, and not law.

However that is the only time that they are required to be checked for the rest of the vehicles life. In fact AFAIK a vehicle does not require a working speedo to be considered road-worthy, of course we all know the owner would lose his licence within a couple of days driving without a speedo.

I remember one of my first cars, a cavalier, I had to remove the dash, however putting the thing back together, the speedo was pre-sprung, we once measured it against another car, it was reading 30 when in fact actual speed was 45mph. But that was back in the days before I would have been considered a nazi for travelling at 45mph.

Hi try this :-

http://www.safespeed.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5665

This has a discussion about it the usual is +/- 10% +/- 6.25 mph speedo must always read higher than the actual speed.

i.e. 58 mph could be indicated as 70 mph.

Richard

The actual requirements can be found in the Construction & Use Act, the exact subsection escaping me now.

I can tell you for fact though (through personal vehicle building experience and numerous phone calls), that a speedometer can be allowed to over-read by a maximum of 10% of the true road speed....and it is NOT allowed to under-read whatsoever.

Like most of the fuckwits in the CPS, your friend is talking out of his arse when he says a speedo is allowed to read either way (that isn't a personal dig at you or your friend, I just happen to think the CPS are useless cunts).

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What makes you think I'm drunk officer, have I got a fat bird with me?

Cheers! Got it from that:

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2001/20010025.htm#sch3 Para 19

NO under-read

Although the allowed over-read is V/10+6.25 mph!!!!

_________________
I won't slave for beggar's pay,
likewise gold and jewels,
but I would slave to learn the way
to sink your ship of fools

This might also be of interest.

http://www.colinusher.info/Robin%20Hood/tyres.html

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Useless laws weaken necessary laws.

No offense taken at all - I shall take delight in passing your view on to him

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I won't slave for beggar's pay,
likewise gold and jewels,
but I would slave to learn the way
to sink your ship of fools

One of the reasons why we purchases a Road Angel and an origin...

My harem and her "toy boys"

The old cars? I have a severe discrepancy between their speedo and the GPS recorded speed.

My sister Jazz had a 1992 Chavalier until recently. She found the speedo was under-reading by a really significant margiin. (She finds the Zephyr she's minding for us has a similar problem )

Modern computerised cars seem to "under-read" speed by 3 mph across the range and I talk of cars post 1997 in this respect as a family who love and really take note of their little "tantrums"

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Sorry Prof! I've just shut down my "work" computer but I have all the regs on there. BEWARE the but that's been posted earlier on - that's Schedule 3 which is for Single Vehicle Approval (kit cars & grey imports mostly). This gives the absolute WORST innacuracy allowable on any vehicle used on a UK public road.

The UK regulation you require is within the Construction & Use Regulations I'll try to have a look tomorrow at which reg but I think it just refers you (depending on the age of the car) to the EC Directive on speedos. This allows NO UNDER-READ WHATSOEVER - at ANY speed and it allows an over-read of up to 10% plus 2.5MPH - which needs to be checked a a couple of speeds between 30 and 80 (from memory).

Somebody needs to make their minds up, every time I have had the misfortune to speak to somebody at VOSA they insist that what they say goes and that is the end of it where vehicle construction is concerned.

Another example of their stupidity was hazard indicators.
We (my friend & I) were told that because we had modified a vehicle (motorcycle) and turned it in to a trike we were altering the vehicle class (which was fair enough of course).
However we were also told that because it was now a trike it would need to be fitted with hazard lights otherwise it wouldn't pass the SVA.

We went to the aggro of fitting hazards just to be told by the SVA guy that the hazard lights were not a testable item

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What makes you think I'm drunk officer, have I got a fat bird with me?

OK Prof,

C&U Regulation 35 says (essentially) you've got to have one. (there are exemptions but nothing relelvant). C&U Reg. 36 says it has to be in working order. Neither says anything about accuracy but there are various "Schedules" attached to the back of C&U that mention them. Essentially, it is as I thought in that the schedules just tell you it needs to comply with the requirements of the relevant EC Directive (75/443/EC (as amended) if you're interested!), and also provides exemptions for various vehicles (mainly those that are too old and those that don't go fast enough to need one, PLUS those that are "Singly" approved (i.e. the SVA tested ones).

There are also regulations to do with Type Approval that again call up the EC Directive.

Interestingly, everyone, the requirement in Reg. 36 for it to be in good working order contains a piece that says (effectively) if it packs up during that particular journey, you don't have to comply. Also, it's OK to have a defective one provided you have taken steps to get it repaired / replaced with "all reasonable expedition".

...Ahh the good old days when the law was reasonable!

Hi Mole are the current regs 10% +2.5mph. I think I may have been misleading people.

Thanks
Richard

Yes but only for a "type" approved car. If the vehicle is "singly" approved (i.e. goes through the SVA test) it IS 10% + 6.25MPH.

Hi Mole thanks for that.

Richard

I thought this thread was going to be about where to get bathing costumes.

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.