Fair Player - June 2007
The Fair Player
The Fair Play Charter is operated by Bury, Manchester, Oldham, St Helens, Salford, Stockport, Tameside and Wigan Councils
Issue 18, June 2007
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Unroadworthy Vehicle Survey
A recent survey has been carried out across the region, in partnership with the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA). A total of 30 traders were visited and 187 vehicles inspected. 17% of the vehicles inspected were issued with prohibitions and one Fair Play Charter membership was revoked.
Prohibitions are issued for:
- faulty tyres;
- excessively tinted windows;
- wheel nuts missing;
- split windscreen wipers; and
- exhausts in a poor condition.
A prohibition is a legally enforceable ban on driving a vehicle on the road. For very serious breaches the ban can be immediate, but where there is no immediate danger it can be delayed for up to 10 days. This gives an opportunity to rectify the fault and arrange to have the vehicle re-examined. Normally a new MOT certificate will be required before the prohibition can be removed.
For more information you can contact VOSA on 0870 606 0440 or www.vosa.gov.uk 
Countdown to smoke-free law
From 1 July, virtually all enclosed public places and workplaces (including vehicles) in England will have to be smoke-free. Work has already started to support businesses and to protect the health of our workforce and residents in the countdown to the introduction of national legislation.
The new legislation contains the requirement to display the legally recognised no smoking signs. Failure to do this, or to allow smoking in a smoke-free place, or to smoke in a smoke-free place, will result in either a fixed penalty notice or prosecution.
For more information go to www.smokefreeengland.co.uk
New members
We would like to welcome the following new members.
Sankey Cars Ltd
152-154 Prescot Road,
St. Helens, WA10 3TX
Tel 01744 20800 www.sankeycars.co.uk
Sutton Cars Limited
97/99 Junction Lane,
St. Helens, WA9 3JL
Tel 01744 817566
R. C. Motors
1 Tasker Terrace,
Rainhill Merseyside, L35 4NX
Tel 0151 426 4271
More news
Tinted windows
It has come to the attention of Trading Standards officers, whilst conducting routine forecourt inspections, that vehicles are being offered for sale with excessively tinted windows. In most cases this will make the vehicle unroadworthy and the trader may be subject to formal action being taken by VOSA, Trading Standards or the Police.
Road Vehicles (Construction & Use) Regulations 1986, as amended, specify the minimum levels of light that must pass through the windscreen and front side windows.
Your questions answered
Q. What is excessively tinted glass?
If glass is tinted to a point when it lets through less light than 75%, then the vehicle does not meet legal requirements. If you're selling a vehicle with extra tinting applied to the windscreen or front side windows, the vehicle is likely to be illegal. In which case the vehicle should not be sold.
Q. How does excessively tinted glass affect road safety?
It restricts the driver's vision, especially in low light conditions. This may prevent drivers from seeing other road users or pedestrians. It also prevents other road users and pedestrians from confirming through eye contact that they have been seen.
Q. Which windows in the vehicle does this apply to?
The windscreen and the front side windows to either side of the driver's head.
If you have any further enquiries on this matter please refer to link below.
email: enquiries@vosa.gov.uk or visit: www.direct.gov.uk/en/motoring/index.htm
The importance of pre-delivery checks for all vehicles
In a recent case at a Magistrates Court in Greater Manchester, a main dealer pleaded guilty to selling a new van in an unroadworthy condition.
The purchaser of the van was driving his wife and child, both restrained by seatbelts, when he braked gently, unaware that the passenger seat had not been properly secured at its base. His wife and child were both shunted forward because of a poorly secured seat and suffered minor injuries. If he had been driving any faster their injuries could have been worse.
Investigations showed that the dealer had not checked the seating arrangement as part of the pre-delivery inspection regime it operated. The seating in the van was made up of two units - the driver's seat and the seats for the passengers.
The company was fined £800 and ordered to pay £823 in costs. It also faces a claim for compensation from the purchaser and his family.
Changes to arranged finance
Q. I have a business with a consumer credit licence and I have been told that there have been changes that affect the way we now have to handle complaints about the loans and finance we arrange. However, I am not sure in practical terms what this means. Where can I get help?
A. The changes have come about as a result of the Consumer Credit Act 2006. From April 2007, all businesses that hold a standard consumer credit licence (issued by the Office of Fair Trading) must, by law, comply with the new complaints handling requirements.
So businesses must follow proper procedures when dealing with complaints about consumer credit activities. Consumers have the right to refer unresolved disputes about these activities to the Financial Ombudsman Service. The website offers lots of information including a special section about consumer credit complaints (www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk ). The website gives answers to a number of the more commonly asked questions that consumer credit businesses ask about the Financial Ombudsman service, including procedures that businesses must follow when dealing with customers' complaints.