bodywork legallity

[sworks]

I have noticed the lacquer is peeling on the rear bumper of my tourer, I think the best way forward is for me to remove the bumper and take it to the bodyshop so i still have use of the car. Is it legal to drive a car with no back bumper? It is not a fail with regard to mot but is it a police offence?

[stocktake]

Originally Posted by sworks

I have noticed the lacquer is peeling on the rear bumper of my tourer, I think the best way forward is for me to remove the bumper and take it to the bodyshop so i still have use of the car. Is it legal to drive a car with no back bumper? It is not a fail with regard to mot but is it a police offence?

I think there is some thing about sharp edges on show or causing injury to joe public somewhere?

[Zeb]

Iirc you would be done under construction and use regulations...

[black olive]

I think it would be illegal.

years ago I was restoring a mark 2 mexico, Id put it back together and was popping it to the bodyshop, with no bonnet or windscreen .

as I waited to pull out of the mates drive ( in an extremely rural area with only the village bobby for company) not one but two police cars drove past- luckily they must have been on a mission as they didnt see me

[sworks]

might have to do without the car, as far as mots go it is only dangerous bodywork if caused by corrosion

[tourerfogey]

Don't think you'd get done under 'C&U' regs but would probably be hit with a 'car in an unroadworthy condition' rap if the car was considered to be a danger to other road users / pedestrians - can only see this happening if there are dangerouis and sharp protrusions once the bumper has been removed though...

[ragitty]

Originally bumpers were there to protect the car rather than deflect or protect pedestrians on impact, though, of course, modern cars certainly from the 80s on, have bumpers designed to do both.

The example of the Mini - though could apply to any car up to the 80s - hardly pedestrian friendly bumpers! Generally shin level and all of chrome. Thin and narrow, sometimes tapering to an (admittedly) rounded off area, they would do much damage to legs etc unlike today's deformable, deep and wide bumpers which spread an impact over a greater area, reducing damage to the car they are attached to, other vehicles and humans. Compare most cars' steel bumpers of the day to those huge great plastic/rubber jobs first introduced by Volvo, pioneers don't forget in road safety.

I don't know the position of MOT standards regarding bumpers, but given that bumpers do now perform that dual role of pedestrian and vehicle protection, I would imagine they are part of the MOT. Worth bearing in mind even if not.

I think that the answer is, as long as there is no rusting sharp pretruding brackets etc then as long as the vehice has a registration plate, it is ok.

[baxlin]

FWIW, the Single Vehicle Approval (SVA) test says, amongst other things, that any edge must have a radius of 2.5mm, I think, so sharp edges must be covered by plastic edging of one sort or another, to give said radius.

HTH

malcolm