They are basically the law and the highway code is an instruction book written around these two sets of regulations (and some others).bobins wrote:A good indication of a roadworthy vehicle would be one that met the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations and/or Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations.
It covers the sidelight scenario clearly in part 23(3)(C) which is actually quite interesting for a page of regulations.
What I found most interesting is that short of a brand new car straight off the forecourt no vehicle really fully meets these standards. Even dirt on the number plate is in contravention of these regulations. I've found this when reading insurance documents as well as numerous contradictions.
I think like all things the whole road traffic act, insurance and roadworthiness debate is set by precedent and reason. We know when we're taking the mick and with investigation so do police officers and insurance companies. If you choose to drive a car with a fault and it causes an accident you're probably screwed whatever the fault. However insurers and Police can't go after every missing number plate light and if seen to be unreasonable all hell can break loose so I guess its about common sense more than anything.