RSA Consultation on Vehicle Modifications

Vehicle Modifications

RSA Press Release and Consultation Process

Note: If you are unsure if your vehicle modifications will be accepted for the driving test, contact the RSA or go to a test centre.

As part of its efforts to improve the standard and roadworthiness of Irish vehicles, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has launched a public consultation on Vehicle Modifications.
The RSA wishes to hear from all vehicle owners, road users, interest groups and members of the public who may have views, advice or suggestions on how to ensure that any modification carried out to a vehicle is fit for purpose, roadworthy, environmentally acceptable and safe.
Vehicle modifications can range from simple cosmetic changes such as windscreen tinting to major structural alterations such as lowering a cars suspension, converting a van into a mini-bus or adding an axle to a Heavy Goods Vehicle.
A substandard modification can negatively impact a vehicle’s behaviour, posing a danger to the driver and other road users. Information gathered at roadside inspections has indicated that many substandard vehicle modifications exist.
Ireland currently has no system in place to control such activity. To tackle this issue, the RSA is proposing that preventative measures be introduced to better regulate vehicle modifications in this country and ultimately save lives.

The RSA’s preferred method to achieve this looks at:
• how vehicle modifiers / owners would be legally required to declare a vehicle modification to an appropriate authority (notify a vehicle alteration)
• the procedure that a modified vehicle would undergo to ensure a modification is of an appropriate standard (modification approval)
• the minimum technical standard which a modification would have to meet before it can be approved (appropriate standard)
• the penalties for a vehicle owner / driver if an unapproved modified vehicle is used on a public road
• the control of the fitment of unsafe vehicle parts

The consultation document can be or viewed on the consultation section of our website at www.rsa.ie .
The closing date for receipt of submissions is 20th March 2013. Comments should be e-mailed to: modsconsultation@rsa.ie or posted to:
Re: Vehicle Modifications Consultation
Vehicle Standards Section
Road Safety Authority
Moy Valley Business Park
Ballina,
Co. Mayo

Category: RSA Press Release