ONTHE SIDE

Roy Palmer’s letter about his grandchildren riding in a sidecar outfit reminded me of some research I did some years ago on sidecars and the law. I contacted ROSPA about seat belts in sidecars. Their initial reply was that of course seatbelts should be worn in a sidecar. I asked them to provide me with the act and section of the relevant law – I’m an ex-copper so am well aware of the need for facts. After some searching, they advised that at that time the law considers a sidecar to be a trailer. There were no rules about wearing a seat belt or even wearing a helmet when in a sidecar. Back in the late 1970s and early 80s I ran a 1961 Panther 120 with a double-adult Busmar, and no one who travelled in that sidecar ever wore a helmet or seat belt. Today I run an open single-seat chair fitted to a 1953 AJS 18S. Of course common sense dictates that the passenger wears a helmet, and it has a simple lap-belt. But there is no rule to force anyone to wear a helmet or seat belt when in it. There is also nothing to stop anyone riding around in the morning with a sidecar fitted, removing it at dinner time and riding out as a solo in the afternoon. Your insurance company might comment but DVLA do not record motorcycle combinations; it’s just a removable ‘trailer’ and NOT a trike. We have the mad situation where you could take a friend to a café in the sidecar without needing a helmet, but if he rode home on your pillion then he’d have to wear one. I run a 1952 MG saloon car with wooden floors and no strong points to fit seat belts. I carry two young grandchildren in it as I’ve fitted seat belts to hold child seats in the rear, but only because there is a steel panel behind the rear seat to bolt them to. The law actually says it is OK to carry them in the rear seat with no belts as the car is exempt, but that is too much of a risk. The rules on sidecars are perverse. You could, if stupid enough, carry a new-born baby on a plank of wood on the sidecar frame unsecured, and not foul any rules, except that of carrying an insecure load. The motorcycle sidecar has faded out of current legislation; there are no Construction and Use Regulations for them, only a mention of them in the MoT check. If fitted with a brake it must work, and there must be a front and rear position indicator light – a rear brake light isn’t even required. There are simply too few outfits around on our roads for the legislators to bother. No one records their numbers anyway, only insurance companies. Neil Cairns, member 2501

All of which pretty much underlines my original reaction, which is that it’s better for us – the riders and owners – to behave responsibly and sensibly without the need for legislation or regulation. Think how much red tape could be avoided! Rowena