Police FPN advice... Wheel Poke.

[the rake]

Well, here's the story...

Travelling home from work today, rather merrily as it was my last day,...

A Police Officer on a bike signals for me to pull over behind him, immediately after a set of traffic lights so no traffic could get through..., so I pulled round him and went down the next side road, which he was on the corner of.

Any who,.. He began to explain the legalities of how tyres aren't allowed to reach out further than the cars body.

I then told him that I have it on good authority of 3 tyre shops which I listed to him that that only accounts for the tyre tread, and not the wall.

Which he said "of course they'll say that, just to sell you tyres..."

Of which I explained I don't get my tyres from them and besides these ones came with the alloys.

He then sat on his radio for a minute, whilst I rang my regular tyre outfit and had them explain the rules and regulations that they know.

"The motor vehicle regulations act of 1996 states in section 18 paragraph 2 subsection D that the front face of a wheel on the vertical plane may protrude from the wheel arch/mudguard a maximum of 30mm but the tyre tread must be covered however...

The Road Traffic Act states that the wheels must be designed to fit that vehicle without the need for spacers/adapters."

My wheels have all tread under the arches,... And the alloys are no more than 25mm on the rear and 15mm on the front.

I have no spacers or adapters,


So is this just....?

Should I just pay and be done with it or wait for a court to decide,...?

Gonna call a Motoring Lawyer tomorrow anyway...

 

[Andy Monty]

got your alloys declared on your insurance policy?

got legal cover on your insurance?

did the cop take pictures? or serial number off your tyres?

wonder if you use your car as evidence that he / she will claim you have changed your wheels over after he spoke to you?

take a look at this:

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=75480&highlight=tyre+tread+court+corsa



http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?p=1200084#post1200084

 

[the rake]

No not yet ... Oops.

No photos or serial numbers taken.


Thanks for that, makes a good read.

My local Station is open 24hours so might bypass them on the way home from my new job. (ATS Euromaster) tomorrow.

Have another officer check now that I know the full regulations. I'll take a tape measure too.

 

[sludgeguts]

My twopenn'orth.
Youngest bought his GF a nice set of alloys & coilly (???) for her focus, lowered it & shoved the new alloys on.
I told them they'd need to be careful as AFAIK, plod'd have you if your wheels stick out further than the body - hence the trend for plastic flares on the arches once upon a time.*
They phoned round a few mates who all dismissed the idea as they all had wheels sticking further out & never a problem - OK, fair enough - but they aren't dibble.
Anyway, eldest has a mate on the firm (as they say) & he asked around (showed them photos on his phone), they all said exactly what I had been saying - and something about it being a hazard to pedestrians or cyclists if you happened to brush past them.
(Yeah, and you'd be clobbering them with the door mirror first?)

maybe it's all down to how a few interpret the law?

*I can remember 3 options - rivet, fill, smooth, paint. Plastic flares with screw fixings left so they could be seen or some really cheapo plastic jobbies that attached by clips! (good up to about 60mph )

 

[Andy Monty]

Go on the opsi website (hmso). And download and print the relevant construction and use regulations then highlight it so you can refer to the regs....

The book on number plates Is about 20 pages thick lol

 

[DueUno]

Have you had it MOT'd with those wheels on? They look like they stick out too far, although they could be within permissible limits. An MOT would probably pick it up if there was a problem, although no guarantee they're legal if it didn't.

I'd suggest speaking to the Police to find out how to determine if they're legal or not. If not, it was an honest mistake and they may let you off providing you resolve it. Get into an argument and you'll end up in court with a heavier bill

 

[the rake]

No not MOTd with them but had them checked.

Thanks Andy again ...

I'm certain they're perfectly legit according to any regulations I've read so far... but I'll see what they say anyway....

The copper actually told me tje easiest way is to fit plastic arches...,

Also, he wrote VW on the ticket before crossing it out...., made me laugh at least.

 

[Andy Monty]

Know the abarth has arch trims

 

[Andy Monty]

You ideally need to talk to a traffic officer or roads policing sergent but be polite etc

Go in your ats overalls

 

[the rake]

I'm always polite, overalls and van haha.

 

[the rake]

Well, spoke to 3 traffic cops today, all even knew the guy I was ticketed by as he was telling them all about it last night.

They were all a bit shady as to be able to refer to Traffic Acts but they all said they'd pull me and ticket me just the same.

So think I'm gonna have to find someone that actually knows the rules.

 

[Andy Monty]

Well, spoke to 3 traffic cops today, all even knew the guy I was ticketed by as he was telling them all about it last night.

They were all a bit shady as to be able to refer to Traffic Acts but they all said they'd pull me and ticket me just the same.

So think I'm gonna have to find someone that actually knows the rules.

then take it to court but contact the CPS with the full document highlighted if it gets that far,,,,, Did you get to speak to a superior officer?

 

[pooroldcodger]

Well, spoke to 3 traffic cops today, all even knew the guy I was ticketed by as he was telling them all about it last night.

They were all a bit shady as to be able to refer to Traffic Acts but they all said they'd pull me and ticket me just the same.

So think I'm gonna have to find someone that actually knows the rules.

So none of them knew the Act, but would pull you and ticket you just the same.
Just brilliant!
I notice you say he wrote "VW" before crossing it out. I see a lot of VW's with ridiculously stretched tyres, and probably so does the PC, so he probably made some false assumptions about your car, but surely it is only right that they know the law before applying penalties?
Andy's advice seems sound to me, although good luck with getting to speak to a "superior" officer.

 

[dombooth]

My sidewalks stick out a little, but as far as I know it's legal.

Dom

 

[Reuuk]

My sidewalks stick out a little, but as far as I know it's legal.

Dom

personally dom i would say they fit nicely. and IMO they don't 'stick' out
I wouldn't worrie about yours

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Run it through to court and take all the paperwork with you

 

[portland_bill]

If you have no advised your insurance company of the wheels, which they class as a modification, they may decide that you are uninsured. Might be a good idea to advise them before going to court.

 

[StevenRB45]

Reminds me ( I read andy montys link lol)...I need some new tyres tbf it passed the mot with 4 advisories...but if they are doing you for that I need to get rid of this (taken 2k ago), which believe it or not has 3.5 mm on it. Certain brands of tyres look ruined long before they are illegal.

 

[sludgeguts]

Reminds me ( I read andy montys link lol)...I need some new tyres tbf it passed the mot with 4 advisories...but if they are doing you for that I need to get rid of this (taken 2k ago), which believe it or not has 3.5 mm on it. Certain brands of tyres look ruined long before they are illegal.

Haaaaa, pu55y
When I were a lad, you only changed a tyre when you could see the steel
(mind you, the only cars we could afford couldn't do 70 if you pushed them off a cliff - which, in many cases, was the best way of getting rid :devil

 

[StevenRB45]

Haaaaa, pu55y
When I were a lad, you only changed a tyre when you could see the steel
(mind you, the only cars we could afford couldn't do 70 if you pushed them off a cliff - which, in many cases, was the best way of getting rid :devil

I used to hang on as long as I could and then one day I aquaplaned across 3 lanes on a curved motorway at 70 mph....after changing my underwear I decided I should probably start changing tyres sooner.