Nearside Mirror And The Law

[paulh53]

Is It Illegal To Drive a Car Without An "Exterior" Nearside Mirror
Someone Has Broken Mine Off, And It's Just Hanging By It's Adjustment Cables, Tried To Refit The Mirror But No Luck,
Thinking About Removing It Altogether, Until I Can Get a New One,
It's On An "N Reg" Ford Fiesta Diesel,

 

[Diyisfun]

I was under the impression that if something was fitted as a standard, & it then did not work or was removed, it would be a failure.

 

[PowerTool]

Perfectly correct - the date of first registration of the car determines if the mirror is compulsory,but if fitted (whether compulsory or not) it MUST be in working condition.
There is also the consideration of "dangerous condition" whereby it is illegal (and MOT failure point) if someone walking past could catch their clothing on it.

Last year,the local teenagers went through a spate of breaking mirrors off any cars parked in the street - one night,one of mine was broken,the other had the glass broken.

Barstewards

 

[paulh53]

Thanks For Your Info Folks Think I Will Park The Car Off Road From Now On

 

[keyplayer]

You will when you see what Ford charge for them - you have to replace the complete unit. In the meantime, take it off. Remove door panel, remove plastic trim and undo the three screws holding the unit to the door. Can't see you getting done for no n/s door mirror and my mot man would probably let it go too.

 

[Quick Fit]

Hi Guys
I'm a new members on this forum........
Try Unipart Automotive/Brown Bros/Partco...All the same company
Ask for an SVG part........Half the price of a main dealer. They sell
all car parts to the Trade and retail.
Hope this has been of some help.
Quick Fit

 

[pipme]

http://www.criminal-solicitors.com/mirrors.htm

 

[keyplayer]

Nice link Pipme - the word "should" rather than "must" makes it a little vague though. I would have a nearside door mirror for my own benefit anyway, but I wouldn't not use the vehicle whilst eg waiting for delivery of new one. Has anyone ever been nicked for this?

 

[1chunky]

you need the o/s mirror not the n/s, cant see you getting any bother over it

 

[Paul_C]

The exterior left-hand mirror is not a requirement so long as your other mirrors are intact:

Obligatory mirrors are

a. an exterior mirror fitted to the offside (right-hand side when seated in the drivers seat), or

b, an exterior mirror fitted to the nearside (left hand side when seated In the drivers seat), or

c. an interior mirror.

Passenger vehicles with no more than 7 passenger seats first used before 1 August 1978 must have any one of the above options.

Passenger vehicles with more than 7 passenger seats of any age, and all passenger vehicles first used on or after I August 1978 (not being a minibus as above), must have two mirrors, one of which must be option 'a'.

http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual_810.htm

 

[keyplayer]

That clears that up then, although my lady reckons c is always obligatory, otherwise how can she drive and apply lipstick at the same time.

 

[Paul_C]

It looks as though the wording in the MoT manual has been updated at some point, because I ran across a tester who queried my mirrors -- Must have been about 12 years ago.

I had a LHD car with a single exterior mirror on the left side (plus the interior mirror), and he wanted to fail it. When I asked him to check the book, we found the relevant paragraph and I remember pointing out that it clearly stated "an exterior mirror on the driver's side." I pointed out that it did have a mirror on the driver's side -- Nothing in the rules then to say which side that was supposed to be -- and he had to concede the point. Then I saw the further part about this applying to 1978 or later vehicles only, and pointed out that as it was a 1972 model it didn't need any exterior mirrors anyway.

Got to watch some of the inspectors!