NO MIRRORS: Our legal eagle tells us the law

Q: 

I have been riding bikes since God was a lad and have had all sorts from RD350s to Bandit 1200s, right up to the latest all singing, all dancing GS1300. About two years ago I ended up getting bitten by the green laning bug and bought KTM’s 890 Adventure R. (There are too many bikes in the garage! I have a problem.) To make it more suitable (as I knew I would fall off, which I have done… a lot) I fitted engine bars and have taken the mirrors off to stop them breaking the brackets on the handlebars (which would be super-expensive). Over the weekend I met my mates in Buckingham and did a loop of some green lanes around Silverstone. As we were parked up looking for a pub for lunch, a police officer pulled up to check the bikes. He was friendly enough but decided to warn me that if he saw me with no mirrors again, he would nick me. I kept it polite (because I am not an idiot), but I am pretty sure he is wrong and so did my two mates. So… legally, do bikes need mirrors?

A:  The police officer is… completely… wrong. You and your mates are right. The answer lies in The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986. If you are struggling to sleep, have a read of these as they are not exactly riveting. However, what they do say at s.33 paragraph 5 is there is ‘No requirement’ for ‘A two-wheeled motor cycle with or without a sidecar attached’ to have mirrors. If you are regularly doing the same green lanes and are likely to see the police officer again, I would print that off and have in your bag to show him. Hopefully, that will be an end to the matter. However,  if you do ever get nicked for this, defend it. I will happily represent you. The only thing I would add is that where a motorcycle does have mirrors they need to be attached and in good order, etc.

Lastly, you’re not the only one who falls off whilst green laning…

Thanks, as always, to the legal expertise of Andrew Prendergast of White Dalton Motorcycle Solicitors