Vehicle safety
There are standards set by law for the condition of your vehicle. You must know these standards and make sure your vehicle complies with the law. This section sets out the basic information you need to know. For further information on the testing of your vehicle please see www.ncts.ie or lo-call 1890 927 977 (9am-4pm).
As a driver, you must make sure that your vehicle is in good working order. You must ensure that the steering, brakes, front and rear lamps, reflectors, rear view mirrors, safety belts, speedometer, tyres, windscreen wipers, horn and silencer are checked regularly.
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Motor vehicles must be tested for their roadworthiness. This section sets out the minimum standards required for your vehicle. You should check the following on a regular basis:
Tyres
Tread depth: Do not allow your tyres to wear down too much. Most vehicles on the road must have a minimum tread depth of 1.6 mm over the main treads. For motorcycles and vintage vehicles the minimum tread depth
is 1 mm. However, make sure you replace your tyres before they become this worn.
Pressure: Regularly check the pressure of every tyre, including the spare tyre, and pay attention to the recommended pressure levels.
Checking for damage: Regularly examine your tyres for cuts, cracks and bulges, which could cause unexpected 'blow-outs'.
Replacing tyres: Buy replacement tyres only from reputable dealers and do not mix radial and cross-ply tyres on any one axle.
Temporary use (space saver) spare tyres: Use only these tyres to complete a journey or make a journey to a tyre dealer.
Do not travel at a speed in excess of the recommended speed stamped on the tyre.
Lights and reflectors
Motor vehicles (except motorcycles or electric vehicles with a maximum speed of 38km/h) must have the following lights and reflectors.
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At the front:
- Two headlights(white and yellow)
- Two white sidelights
- Direction indicator lights (amber only)
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At the back:
- Two red lights (commonly known as tail lights)
- Two red brake lights
- Two red reflectors
- Number plate lighting
- Direction indicator lights (amber only)
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Remember
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You
must
use fog lights only in dense fog or falling snow. Turn them off in clear weather or you will risk causing glare or dazzling other drivers
- You may fit high mounted rear brake lights if you wish, but fitting other optional lighting is controlled by law.
You must not fit blue or red flashing lights which are solely reserved for Garda, ambulance and other designated service vehicles. See www.transport.ie for details.
You should not make any technical modifications to your vehicle without professional advice as these may have legal and safety implications.
You should also inform your insurance company, as some modifications can invalidate your insurance policy.
Windscreens
Type of windscreen: Laminated glass must be used for the windscreens of motor vehicles registered since January 1986. It must also be used when replacing damaged windscreens of older vehicles.
Windscreen wipers: Keep your windscreen wipers and wiper blades in good working condition and keep your windscreen washer liquid topped up.
Clear vision: Keep your windscreen and windows clean and free of clutter to make sure you can see the road and other road users clearly.
Mirrors
Your vehicle must have mirrors fitted so that you always know what is behind and to each side. Heavy goods vehicles (HGV?s) and buses should have 'cyclops' and 'wide angle mirrors' to eliminate blind spots and protect pedestrians and cyclists to the front and sides of the vehicles.
When to use mirrors: You must use your vehicle's mirrors before moving off, changing lanes, overtaking, slowing down, stopping, turning, or opening doors. You should check your mirrors regularly when driving.
Clear vision: As with lights and reflectors, you must keep your mirrors clean, in good condition and correctly positioned to make sure they are effective.
Safety belts
You must wear a safety belt. The only exceptions are for:
- people who wear a disabled person's belt,
- people whose doctors have certified that, on medical grounds, they should not wear a safety belt,
- driving instructors or driver testers during a lesson or a test, and
- Gardai members of the defence forces in the course of their duty.
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Child restraint systems
Safety belts are designed mainly for adults and older children. Child safety protection laws make it compulsory for all children to use the correct child seat, booster seat or booster cushion. Smaller children - under 150 centimetres and less than 36 kilograms - must be restrained in an appropriate child restraint system when travelling in a passenger car or goods vehicle. Examples of appropriate restraint systems are baby car seats and booster seats.
You must comply with the following:
- Where safety belts have been fitted, they must be worn.
- Children under 3 years of age must not travel in a car or goods vehicle (other than a taxi) unless restrained in the correct child seat.
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Children aged 3 years or over who are under 150cms in height and weighing less than 36 kilograms (i.e. generally children up to 11/12 years old) must use the correct child seat or booster cushion when travelling in cars or goods vehicles.
- Children over 3 years of age must travel in a rear seat in vehicles not fitted with safety belts.
- A rearward-facing child car seat must not be used in the front passenger seat of cars with active airbags.
- A child car seat must be in accordance with EU or United Nations ? Economic Commission for Europe (UN-ECE) standards.
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Make sure passengers aged under 17 use the correct seat, booster seat, booster cushion or seatbelt. All drivers are legally responsible for this.
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Ensuring a child is properly restrained in a child car seat can reduce injuries by a factor of 90-95% for rear-facing seats and 60% for forward-facing seats*.
*Source: AA Motoring Trust
What to remember when using child restraints
- Use the correct restraint for each child.
- Use the child seat for every journey, no matter how short.
- For young children, choose a seat that:
- bears an E mark (meaning that it meets United Nations Standard ECE Regulation 44 03),
- suits the child?s weight and height, and
- is suitable for the type of car.
- The best advice is not to buy or use a second hand car seat.
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Fit the child seat correctly, according to the manufacturer's instructions. It is safer to fit the seat in the back seat of your car.
Restraints for passengers under 17
By law, the driver of a passenger car or goods vehicle is responsible for passengers under 17 years of age wearing a safety belt or an appropriate child restraint. You may receive up to 4 penalty points if your passengers in this age group are not belted or restrained.
If you would like more information, you can get a booklet and DVD called Child Safety in Cars from the Road Safety Authority. Lo-Call 1890 50 60 80.
Roof racks and roof boxes
If you use a roof rack or roof box, you must:
- securely fit it to your vehicle,
- make sure that the load does not block your view of the road in any direction,
- never overload it,
- never place the load in a way that might cause it to fall off, and
- never load the rack or box in a way that would destabilise your vehicle.
Vehicle registration plates
The law sets down what vehicle registration plates must look like. The two diagrams below show the only formats that are allowed for vehicles registered in Ireland on or after 1 January 1991.
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Vehicle registration plates must be kept clean and legible. All numbers and letters must be in plain black text on a plain white reflective background. There should be no italics or shadows. You must not interfere with a registration plate.
If you would like more information on vehicle plates, you can get a leaflet from the following page on Revenue's website: www.revenue.ie/leaflets/carplate.pdf.
Other safety responsibilities
As a driver, you have a number of other responsibilities to your passengers.
Children in motor vehicles
You must not leave infants or young children on their own in a motor vehicle, even if you are away for a short time. The children may face a number of hazards, such as:
- a fire breaking out,
- difficulty in breathing on a warm day (if all windows are closed), and
- being trapped in electric windows, which could result in serious injury or death.
You should never leave animals alone in vehicles. It is cruel and unsafe and can result in injury to the animal and/or damage to your vehicle.
Using a mobile phone
You must not drive a vehicle or ride a motorbike while using a hand-held mobile phone. It is an offence, for which you will receive up to 4 penalty points.
Cyclists should never use a mobile phone when cycling and pedestrians should exercise care when using one.
Personal entertainment systems
As a road user, you should avoid using personal entertainment systems through earphones. These systems, for example personal radios and MP3 players, can distract you, and may prove dangerous when driving or crossing the road. Cyclists in particular should avoid these systems,
as they rely on their hearing while on the road.
If you do use a personal or in-car system, play it at a volume that does not distract or prevent you from hearing emergency sirens or car horns.
