Suction cups on windscreen etc

[Steve]

This is a surprise to me so may be to others as it could as well include satnav's

Be warned, if you use a suction mounted car camera in the UK, if the device (camera and / or cradle and / or suction cup) intrudes more than 4cm into the secondary (pink) wiper clearance zone, or intrudes more than 1cm into the primary (red) wiper clearance zone of the windscreen, you are committing a serious traffic offense (dangerous driving) under the UK Road Traffic Act 1988, and your vehicle is not roadworthy (it would fail an MOT).
Also / in addition, if you use a car camera with an LCD screen, if the screen is on for any of the time while you are driving and you, the driver, can view that screen, you are also committing a serious traffic offense.
If someone has sold you a windscreen suction mounted car camera, they have a legal duty to ensure
a) that the camera can actually be attached to a section of the windscreen of your particular vehicle which does not result in an unlawful intrusion of the primary (red) and / or secondary (pink) wiper clearance zone,
b) that the screen does not remain on or visible to the driver and
c) that you are aware of the law. If they sold you a suction mounted car camera without doing this, they have committed a crime. To find out how to return / report an unlawful suction mounted car camera, please see further below.
UK Law - Dangerous Driving
"In England and Wales and Scotland, a person guilty of dangerous driving is liable, on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for any term not exceeding two years, or to a fine, or to both, or on summary conviction, to imprisonment for any term not exceeding six months, or to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum, or to both.""A person is to be regarded as driving dangerously for the purposes of sections 1 and 2 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 if

• the way he/she drives falls far below what would be expected of a competent and careful driver, and it would be obvious to a competent and careful driver that driving in that way would be dangerous; or

• if it would be obvious to a competent and careful driver that driving the vehicle in its current state (for the purpose of the determination of which regard may be had to anything attached to or carried on or in it, and to the manner in which it is attached or carried) would be dangerous."

Steve

 

[Minxy]

Are you talking about reversing cameras/rear-view cameras or cameras that face forwards and record your journey?

 

[Steve]

Are you talking about reversing cameras/rear-view cameras or cameras that face forwards and record your journey?

The subject I was looking into was forward facing, but surprised to read the bit about suction cups on windscreen as many satnav's are fixed this way. But after thinking about it anything in the RED or PINK windscreen area would be an mot failure so would be classes as dangerous, I am sure some mot testers on this site will be able to comment better than I can?

 

[Larrynwin]

This would be a difficult one to police with many thousands of drivers with suction mount navigators on their windscreens

 

[Campercaillie]

Be warned, if you use a suction mounted car camera in the UK, if the device (camera and / or cradle and / or suction cup) intrudes more than 4cm into the secondary (pink) wiper clearance zone, or intrudes more than 1cm into the primary (red) wiper clearance zone of the windscreen, you are committing a serious traffic offense (dangerous driving) under the UK Road Traffic Act 1988, and your vehicle is not roadworthy (it would fail an MOT).
Also / in addition, if you use a car camera with an LCD screen, if the screen is on for any of the time while you are driving and you, the driver, can view that screen, you are also committing a serious traffic offense.

I'm sorry, but your post is to say the least alarmist!
To state that driving with a suction cup on the windscreen, or to have a reversing camera screen on whilst you're driving falls within the realms of dangerous driving is simply wrong. You will not find any reference in any legislation to say that it is. There are specific (lesser) offences to deal with such breaches, all of which need to be proved of course!

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[Vlad The Impaler]

I'm a bit confused,I don't have red or pink wipers.As mine are black does that mean I'm exempt ! :





Vlad

 

[Steve]

I'm a bit confused,I don't have red or pink wipers.As mine are black does that mean I'm exempt ! :





Vlad

As I have had the pleasure of starting a tread before only to become the perpetrator of all things bad.
I am only informing you of info (correct or otherwise) that will promote a discussion during which some very able members will share with us a more informed view
please have a look at this link and if you don't like what they say why not drop them aline
http://www.incarcamerasystems.co.uk/UK_Law_Dash_Cameras.php

 

[Campercaillie]

As I have had the pleasure of starting a tread before only to become the perpetrator of all things bad.
I am only informing you of info (correct or otherwise) that will promote a discussion during which some very able members will share with us a more informed view
please have a look at this link and if you don't like what they say why not drop them aline
http://www.incarcamerasystems.co.uk/UK_Law_Dash_Cameras.php

Misinformation I'm afraid, they're simply wrong. (You may well note the absence of any reference to the law that suggests "Contrary to Road Traffic Act etc. etc. ..................")

 

[Steve]

Misinformation I'm afraid, they're simply wrong. (You may well note the absence of any reference to the law that suggests "Contrary to Road Traffic Act etc. etc. ..................")

Is this your opinion that they are wrong or are you speaking from a more informed view.

Link Removed

 

[Wildbill]

was ther suction mounted Carr cameras in 1988 and as long as you keep any obstruction out of the wiper aria your not braking the law this includes fun strikers
i do have a close family member who specializes in road traffic act as he is a traffic cop and good at wat he has been doing for the last 20 years will have a chat with him and send him the link
:thumb:

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[oldmanriver]

I had to take the sat nav mount of the windscreen for the M O T

 

[Campercaillie]

Is this your opinion that they are wrong or are you speaking from a more informed view.

Link Removed

Ex traffic-cop, though I retired in 2000.
The offences you referred to are in the Con & Use Regs .....

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1986/1078/regulation/104/made

..and Regulation 109 that follows. Dangerous driving is, as you rightly say, a serious offence, but in reality is never used for offences that are generally considered as minor - ones that would normally result in nothing more than a telling-off.

 

[Spenders]

Hmmmm

As far as I can see, the first link is from a firm selling dash mounted cameras, who not surprisingly want you to buy their product over a system mounted via suction cup to the windscreen.

The laws they quote are real, and absolutely technically speaking, in extreme cases, an offence could be committed...... but back in the real world, unless your suction cup was the size of a dinner plate in the middle of your field of view, the police and CPs would not be interested in such matters. If your vision was obscured to a great extent and a fatality occurred then it might invite prosecution, but in the normal run of things, you won't have anything to worry about.

 

[Minxy]

... what about fluffy dice hanging from the mirror, or, even worse, those daft 'dream catcher' feathery things that Autotrail owners tend to favour!

 

[Wildbill]

well sent link the link nice bit of scare mongering it technically is an offence but he sad common sense pro-vales and they have bigger fish to fry low down on wind screen even if the driver was a total prate it's probably not even in the slapped hand category
not worth the paper work :thumb:

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[grumps147]

I think I will continue to affix my rubber sucker behind the mirror largely on the hashed area for rain detection. This does leave the camera unit itself very slightly obstructing the view but the important thing is where the sucker attaches to the windscreen. Must check where my fun sticker is.

If I do get into trouble I will take a lead from the police/camera/action style program's, and produce a few clips from them for my defence.

 

[RonnieJ]

Yep i had to remove my FUN sticker for MOT or he would fail it.

 

[Campercaillie]

.

With acknowledgements to cartoonist, the late Constable Jon Whittaker.

 

[pappajohn]

its also illegal to have dangling air fresheners and screen stickers etc but i never heard of anyone being prosecuted.

better not put your satnav on the screen mount

 

[pappajohn]

... what about fluffy dice hanging from the mirror, or, even worse, those daft 'dream catcher' feathery things that Autotrail owners tend to favour!

this one was too big to hang from our mirror...

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[jonandshell]

Yep i had to remove my FUN sticker for MOT or he would fail it.

The bastard!:Angry:

 

[Roryboys Dad]

I can't see a problem ........

 

[knokinonabit]

... what about fluffy dice hanging from the mirror, or, even worse, those daft 'dream catcher' feathery things that Autotrail owners tend to favour!

Oi ! I don't have a dream catcher dangling from our MH mirror.
It's actually a plastic Elvis Presley :Blush:

Has anyone noticed in the Aviva insurance ad, where Paul Whitehouse is dressed to supposedly look like a biker, that his sat nav in the car is almost in the centre of the windscreen.

Sad aren't I .

 

[rainbow chasers]

The only time a policeman would stop you for that sort of infringement would be extreme - a 'for sale'ad in the front windscreen blocking part of the window, or maybe a sat nat directly in front of the drivers vision - which sadly is seen fairly often.

The action they would take would undoubtedly be 'suitable words of advice' (take it down/move it somewhere sensible)...but these would only be in extreme cases.

I have seen cars fail MOT for vision obstruction only a couple of times whilst in the trade; One had an obscene amount of stickers on the windscreen, another had 40% obscured rear windoow, again due to stickers. Rare events!

Cameras are usually positioned behind the rear view mirror, so do not obstruct vision. Sat navs usually place lower central, or lower right - so again do not obstruct vision.

The driver is not allowed to watch a tv monitor; and a tv monitor must not be positioned where the driver can view it whilst driving. A reversing monitor is fine as the theory would be reversing when in use. A full time one would be seen as a rear view mirror alternative, as you would be checking it as a rear view mirror - and not watching it like a TV programme/dvd.