Requirements for the car — inside and out
| What the rule requires | Where it goes wrong | What you do | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belts on all seats | Required for cars first used after 30 September 2000, for all forward-facing and rearward-facing seats. | Forgetting the date. In older cars a seat without a belt can be lawful — but then the middle of a bench does not count as a seat either. | Look up the date of first use on the registration document before drawing conclusions. |
| Dimensions | Art. 5.2.6: no longer than 12.00 m, no wider than 2.55 m, no higher than 4.00 m. | Thinking this concerns lorries only. With a roof box or a load on top it concerns your car. | With a roof box or roof load work out the height — 4.00 m includes everything on top. |
| Axle load and mass | No more than what the vehicle register or registration document states. The figure therefore differs per car — it is with your car, not in the law. | Looking for a general figure. There is none: the law points to your registration document. | Read the permitted axle load on the registration document, do not look for a general figure. |
| Tread depth | At least 1.6 mm in the MAIN GROOVES, over the ENTIRE CIRCUMFERENCE of the tread. Wear indicators do not count. | Measuring in one spot. “Over the entire circumference” means: if it reads 1.5 mm anywhere, the tyre fails, however good it looks elsewhere. | Measure at several places around the tyre, not at one. |
| Condition of the tyres | No bulges (paragraph 3) and not regrooved (paragraph 5) — the latter is recutting the tread, and it is forbidden on cars. | Treating a bulge in the sidewall as cosmetic. A bulge means broken carcass cords — that tyre can burst. | With a bulge in the sidewall replace the tyre, do not inflate it. |
| Sharp parts | No sharp parts that in a collision could cause bodily injury to OTHER road users. | Thinking the rule is about your safety. It is about the pedestrian and cyclist who hit your car — hence “other road users”. | After a collision check the outside — a loosened trim strip is exactly such a sharp part. |
The law itself
- RegelingVoertuigen art. 5.2.47 lid 1
«Personenauto's die na 30 september 2000 in gebruik zijn genomen, moeten zijn voorzien van gordels voor alle naar voren en naar achteren gerichte zitplaatsen.»
- RegelingVoertuigen art. 5.2.6
«Personenauto's mogen: a. niet langer zijn dan 12,00 m; b. niet breder zijn dan 2,55 m, en c. niet hoger zijn dan 4,00 m.»
- RegelingVoertuigen art. 5.2.7 lid 1
«De last onder de assen van personenauto's mag niet meer bedragen dan de voor het betrokken voertuig in het kentekenregister of op het kentekenbewijs vermelde toegestane maximum aslasten.»
- RegelingVoertuigen art. 5.2.48 lid 1
«Personenauto's mogen geen scherpe delen hebben die in geval van botsing gevaar voor lichamelijk letsel voor andere weggebruikers kunnen opleveren.»
- RegelingVoertuigen art. 5.2.27 lid 4
«De profilering van de hoofdgroeven van de banden moet over de gehele omtrek van het loopvlak ten minste 1,6 mm bedragen, met uitzondering van slijtage-indicatoren.»
- RegelingVoertuigen art. 5.2.27 lid 5
«De banden mogen niet zijn nageprofileerd.»
- RegelingVoertuigen art. 5.2.27 lid 3
«De banden mogen geen uitstulpingen vertonen.»
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