Engineering:Roadworthiness
Roadworthiness[1] or streetworthiness is a property or ability of a car, bus, truck or any kind of automobile to be in a suitable operating condition or meeting acceptable standards for safe driving and transport of people, baggage or cargo in roads or streets, being therefore street-legal.
In Europe, roadworthy inspection is regulated by:
- Directive 2014/45/EU, on periodic roadworthiness tests for motor vehicles and their trailers,[2]
- Directive 2014/46/EU, on the registration documents for vehicles,[3]
- Directive 2014/47/EU, on the technical roadside inspection of the roadworthiness of commercial vehicles.[4][5]
Certificate
A Certificate of Roadworthiness (also known as a ‘roadworthy’ or ‘RWC’) attests that a vehicle is safe enough to be used on public roads. A roadworthy is required in the selling of a vehicle in some countries. It may also be required when the vehicle is re-registered, and to clear some problematic notices.[6]
"roadworthiness certificate" means a road-worthiness test report issued by the competent authority or a testing centre containing the result of the road-worthiness test— DIRECTIVE 2014/45/EU OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 3 April 2014 on periodic roadworthiness tests for motor vehicles and their trailers and repealing Directive 2009/40/EC
Inspection
Roadworthy inspection is designed to check the vehicle to make sure that its important auto parts are in a good (not top) condition that is enough for safe road use. It includes:[6]
- mirrors
- wheels and tires
- vehicle structure
- lights and reflectors
- seats and seat belts
- steering, suspensions and braking systems
- windscreen, and windows including front wipers and washers
- other safety related items on the body, chassis or engine
- Roadworthy inspection in Europe
Directive 2014/45/EU regulates the periodic testing for various kind of vehicles:
- transport of people (M1, M2, M3)
- transport of good (N1, N2, N3)
- trailers of more than 3.5 tonnes (O3, O3)
- tractors of category T5
- since January 2022, two- or three-wheel vehicles in categories L3e, L4e, L5e and L7e, with an engine displacement of more than 125 cm3.[2]
18 of 27 EU member states have required motorcycle owners to have their vehicles checked for road-worthiness. The directive 2014/45/EU defines obligations and responsibilities, minimum requirements concerning road-worthiness tests, administrative provisions and cooperation and exchange of information.
Minimum requirements concerning road-worthiness tests encompass date and frequency of testing, contents and methods of testing, assessment of deficiencies, road-worthiness certificate, follow-up of deficiencies and proof of test.[2]
The test shall cover at least the following areas:(0) Identification of the vehicle;
(1) Braking equipment;
(2) Steering;
(3) Visibility;
(4) Lighting equipment and parts of the electrical system;
(5) Axles, wheels, tires, suspension;
(6) Chassis and chassis attachments;
(7) Other equipment;
(8) Nuisance;
(9) Supplementary tests for passenger-carrying vehicles of categories M2 and M3—2014/45/EU
See also
- Airworthiness
- Crashworthiness
- Cyberworthiness
- Railworthiness
- Seaworthiness
- Spaceworthiness
- Street-legal vehicle
- Vehicle inspection
Reference list
- ↑ Guide to maintaining roadworthiness. Commercial goods and passenger vehicles. PDF file available on the site of BusinessLink, United Kingdom Government. (visited on March 08, 2011)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Directive 2014/45/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 3 April 2014 on periodic roadworthiness tests for motor vehicles and their trailers and repealing Directive 2009/40/EC Text with EEA relevance
- ↑ Directive 2014/46/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 3 April 2014 amending Council Directive 1999/37/EC on the registration documents for vehicles
- ↑ Directive 2014/47/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 3 April 2014 on the technical roadside inspection of the roadworthiness of commercial vehicles circulating in the Union and repealing Directive 2000/30/EC
- ↑ "Common Types of Towing Services" (in en). https://www.towgator.com/towing-service/.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Get a Certificate of Roadworthiness". 2020-10-03. https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/registration/roadworthiness/get-a-certificate-of-roadworthiness.
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