Update
on the EU proposals on Roadworthiness Testing
The MG Car
Club is a member of the FBHVC and a Club member, David Whale,
is the current chairman.
What is
the FBHVC?
The Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs is a grouping
of almost 500 Clubs and Museums together with some 1500 Trade
and Individual Supporters. The aim of the FBHVC is to uphold
the freedom to use old vehicles on the roads without any undue
restriction and to support its member organisations in whatever
way it can.
FBHVC website
Posted: 130221
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The FBHVC's objections to the proposal to replace
the current EU Roadworthiness Testing Directive
with a Regulation have been well covered
in the two most recent newsletters. Since the last
issue went to press, there have been several developments
some of which are clearly beneficial to the historic
vehicle movement, others less so.
It's a complicated story but for a detailed update
on the current position and next stages in the process
of getting the proposals into a sensible and workable
form, see the useful report from David Hurley. Considerable
progress has been made through careful but effective
influence and debate of the parties working well
together so essential changes are being achieved
or worked on.
Transport Minister Stephen Hammond has helped secure
a crucial deal protecting British motorists and
businesses from controversial, economy-damaging
European Commission proposals for road vehicle testing.
Under the original plans classic and historic vehicle
owners faced having their vehicles taken off the
road if they had been modified – even if only
slightly – with components such as new indicators.
There is no doubt that the revised text approved
by the Council has answered the most serious concerns
that FBHVC has identified in the past and does most
of what the Minister has claimed, but the specific
concerns discussed at the meeting on 13th December
(as detailed in the briefing paper that can be found
under the news item
posted in December at www.fbhvc.co.uk) remain. The
qualifications in the text of Article 3(7) are unchanged,
and it is difficult to see how the current exemption
from testing for all pre-1960 vehicles could continue
when the Directive allows exemption only for those
in their original state and without substantial
change to the technical characteristics of any major
components, including body.
The
report includes a table comparing the key provisions
in the original text from 13th July 2012 with the
revised text from EU Presidency on 16th November
2012 providing a greater role for EU member states
and far less restrictive definition of ‘roadworthiness
test’ which in the later draft means an inspection
to ensure that a vehicle is safe to be used on public
roads and complies with required environmental characteristics.
See
the full FBHVC report |
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