Driving on Public Roads to get work done for SVA

[F355GTS]

i understand that it is legal to drive to a garage or wherever ot get work done for the SVA providing that you have valid insurance (on Chassis number) Does anybody have a link to where this might be confirmed either by DVLA or VOSA or whoever I've been looking for hours and can't find it and am due to drive it at 9.00 tomorrow!


thanks

[byebyegti]

i had the same problem, i phoned up the police and informed them of the cars movment's and they where fine as long as i had insurance.

[Avocet]

It IS OK. I can't remember the actual bit of legislation but I'll try and root it out and post a link to it. Try searching the "Stationery Office" website (used to be HMSO). I think you need to look for Statutory Instruments relating to Registration and Licensing.

[steve_D]

I seem to recal you could drive it too and from SVA with an appointment. You could drive it too and from a place of rectification. My interpretation was that this was applying to after a failure.
Steve

[Avocet]

Just found the following on the Department for Tranport website:

"You will be allowed to travel (within Great Britain) to and from the test station (including accredited test laboratories for any required ESVA tests) without the vehicle having been registered and licensed, and, if necessary, to and from a garage or other place where modifications are done to enable compliance with the requirements. You are responsible for ensuring that you have insurance cover and that the vehicle complies with the requirements of the Road Vehicles (Construction & Use) Regulations and the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations when driven to and from the test location. Otherwise, driving or keeping an unregistered vehicle on a public road is an offence."

www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_roads/documents/page/dft_roads_506874-09.hcsp#TopOfPage

I think this is as close to the source legislation as you'll get although from what I remember the source legislation doesn't talk specifically about SVA. It goes on about being able to drive on a public road without registration if the journey was being made for the purpose of obtaining such registration. To my mind, this includes the trip to the DVLA office as well but I don't know of anyone who has been stopped for doing this and has successfully used it as a defence!

[F355GTS]

thanks guys

[Cabby]

My understanding is you are able for preperation purposes. Try asking in the Speeding, Law etc forum. You get a few BIBs in there who may know where you would stand.

Paul.

[busa_rush]

Unfortunately you're not allowed to drive on the road before you've failed an SVA test, so if you need to take the car to a place where work is being done in order to pass the SVA test, it has to go on a trailer. (The wording in the VOSA booklet doesn't make this clear)

I spoke to my local plod about this and they knew even less than I did and said I can't drive it at all until it's been registered and taxed.

In the end I spoke to VOSA who confirmed the above, although I suspect that most plod are not aware of the laws so as long as you have insurance and a copy of the VOSA booklet with the relevant (muddy) statement highlighted you'll be OK.

[spartan_andy]

I know this isn't quite on the question asked but when I spoke to my 'local' DVLA office they said I could drive to and from the MOT centre as long as it was a pre booked appointment. Also I could drive it to the DVLA office for examination.

Granted mine won't need SVA but HTH

[Avocet]

busa_rush said:

Unfortunately you're not allowed to drive on the road before you've failed an SVA test, so if you need to take the car to a place where work is being done in order to pass the SVA test, it has to go on a trailer. (The wording in the VOSA booklet doesn't make this clear) I spoke to my local plod about this and they knew even less than I did and said I can't drive it at all until it's been registered and taxed. In the end I spoke to VOSA who confirmed the above, although I suspect that most plod are not aware of the laws so as long as you have insurance and a copy of the VOSA booklet with the relevant (muddy) statement highlighted you'll be OK.

That's Weird! Who did you speak to at VOSA? From what you're saying it seems that if you pass your SVA test (and you'll only know that when you've got there) then you would have been breaking the law by getting there! But if you fail (and thus, one must suppose, your car isn't as safe as it could be) you're allowed to drive it back?

[busa_rush]

Yep the rules as usual are not perfect.

You can drive to/from an SVA test whatever happens, as long as it's pre-booked.

You're not allowed to drive to a pre-arranged appointment to get work done in order to pass the SVA test until you've failed the first SVA test. (This is the bit that irritates me most)

Once you've passed the SVA test, yu can't drive it on the road agan until it's registered and has a tax disc or trade plate.

If you look at the foot of the SVA fail sheet there is a box that the inspector can add comments to, which effectively woud prevent you driving the car again until these faults are fixed, so if he finds your brakes are useless he'll mention it in that box and you'll have to fix it there and then or trailer the car home. I can't remember the exact wording but it's the same thing plod can issue to a dangerous car, prohibition order or something similar ??

[Avocet]

Yes, I think all the testers carry "warrant cards" which give them the same powers as "plod" to stop really dangerous vehicles going any further.

Incidentally, (maybe its worth a separate topic) the DVLA have just launched a consultation on the whole future of the registration procedure:

www.dvla.gov.uk/public/consult/veh_inspec/vi_summary.htm

This is our chance (absolutely ANYONE can respond) to sort out all the daft things about the registration process that have irritated us for so long...

...like why the hell you have to get it inspected by VOSA for SVA and then get it inspected again by DVLA for donor part identities? and, for that matter, why you can drive it to one inspection but not the other!

and so on.