Is there a new Legal restriction on Width of Mirrors on Scooters/Motorbikes?

[gdhm]

My wife has just come home saying someone has told her police are saying if the mirrors on your Motorbike extend beyond the width of the handle bars it is now illegal and people will be fined.

I have searched the Web and can find nothing relating to this.  My mirrors on my Yamaha Nouvo do extend beyond my handlebars because I had them extended 8 years ago because, being very obese, I could not see anything in the original length mirrors except my body.

 

I find it hard to believe there is such a new law especially as all cars/pickup have side mirrors often extending 8 - 10 inches wider than the vehicle body. However, logic does not always seem to apply, AND I am aware of new restrictions in laws for large Motorbikes are being discussed.

 

Can anybody confirm situation with Mirror width.

Many Thanks

[johng]

It wouldn't surprise me if they have come up with another "silly law"

but new ( Thai brand ) bikes like this come out of the factory with wing mirrors "wider" than the handle bars ????

[eisfeld]

Obviously nonsense. Too many bikes come from factory with mirrors extended farther than the handlebars. Pretty much all 1000cc sport bikes do... And why would they limit the mirror width? Wider mirrors increase visibility and therefor safety.

[gdhm]

Thanks Guys. Maybe just another rumour (hopefully not a TM opportunity).

 

Johng thanks for the photo example.

 

I agree 100% with you eisfeld. Such a rule would reduce safety, Safety was exactly why I paid to have my mirror bars extended (not excessively but adequately). If you cannot see anything except your body why have a mirror at all.  IMHO the mirrors that come with scooter are little more useful than for slim persons (and checking hair styler or makeup ????).  Mirrors are not for being short so bikers can slip between vehicles they are for safety and greater awareness. I, like vehicle drivers, take into account the width of my bike and of course that  includes my mirrors.

 

 

My wife was also told that my dirty very dusty pickup could cause me to be fined for being very dirty. I said to my wife I find that too to be hard to believe and that whilst I fully understand vehicles must be in a safe to drive mechanically and that Number plates must be easy to read at all times I am unaware of a clean vehicle exterior bodywork requirement.

 

[eisfeld]

5 minutes ago, gdhm said:

My wife was also told that my dirty very dusty pickup could cause me to be fined for being very dirty. I said to my wife I find that too to be hard to believe and that whilst I fully understand vehicles must be in a safe to drive mechanically and that Number plates must be easy to read at all times I am unaware of a clean vehicle exterior bodywork requirement.

I would ask your wife where she is getting that stuff from. Clearly a low quality source of information :)

 

Oh and I realized that even a Honda Click has mirrors wider than the bars.

 

[gdhm]

Hi eisfeld,

 

My wife has just retuned home from the cinema and told me a local bike repair shop person told her his friend had been fined a few days ago.

I do not use my bike these days as I get sciatica when I do, so my wife (who has a Mio) rides my bike every two weeks or so to charge the battery and get tyres pum,p up if needed.

 

I have said to my wife if she is stopped and fined to ask for identification of the new law so we can look it up.

If my understanding of current countrywide laws on fines is correct, fines cannot be collected on the spot and an official completed form must be filled in and given to "offender(s)" for payment of fine within specified period or for challenging fine. If my understanding is correct that should be more revealing and if an immediate on site fine is demanded, then even more so.

 

[jackdd]

33 minutes ago, gdhm said:

My wife has just retuned home from the cinema and told me a local bike repair shop person told her his friend had been fined a few days ago.

Most likely the police officer needed some extra money and thus he made up a non-existing law to extort some money from an uninformed person.

Once a police officer wanted to fine me because i wasn't driven in the outermost left lane. In this case the "outermost left lane" where he told me i would have to drive was the hard shoulder. Upon informing him that the hard shoulder isn't considered a lane for driving he waved me on.

[Just Weird]

58 minutes ago, gdhm said:

I have said to my wife if she is stopped and fined to ask for identification of the new law so we can look it up.

Don't waste your time, or risk antagonising the police officer.  Apart from telling you what you are being ticketed for is the law, no police officers, anywhere, are obliged to provide that specific information at a roadside check.  If you dispute the regulation you can take it to court.

[Pilotman]

Laws pertaining to anything here are flexible, largely ignored, corrupted, forgotten, quoted when money is involved, twisted out of all recognition by 'Officials' , interpreted differently by everyone you meet.  There is no 'Rule of Law' as we in the West know and understand it. Trying to research something as trivial as the legal position with regards to wing mirrors is a waste of time mate.  

[gdhm]

 

Fair enough Just weird I'll accept what you say is correct.

I agree about not antagonizing the police but asking nicely what law is it because you were not aware of it Is IMO not aggressive or provocative.

 

Pilotman you are probably correct however I have avoided 2 incidents of TM without situation getting nasty.  To date, since here, Both whilst in my pickup car (both many years ago now) for traffic offences. On both occasions they were for TM and not actual genuine traffic offences.

 

First time, on a local city highway ring road a heavy lorry in front of me and I were stopped. I was told I was speeding at over 80kph and fine was ฿400.  My wife interpreted for me that was not the case and pointed out were were following the heavy lorry also stopped and it was not going over 60kmph (as we were a long gently upwards slope I doubt the Lorry was actaully capable of 80 kmph on the section of road. The officer, then surprisingly called another officer across and went to speak to the lorry driver. The new officer said we were speeding (interesting since he got out of a Police car in the no man's land section in middle of the Highway which of the two police cars there was facing watching the cars going in the other direction. We repeated what we told the first officer. He then went silent for 15 secs and then told my wife I was lane swapping to get past slower vehicles. WE remained quiet voiced, polite and respectful but these unfounded untrue accusations was really annoying because we are aware that Police often do checks in that location and to avoid any possible issues I always ask my wife to check my speedometer just is case we get stopped an accused of speeding. Additionally, on this occasion we were following a slow moving heavy lorry for well over a kilometre and FINALLY, we knew this second officer had not personally been watching our side of the highway anyway.  My wife was then asked how much I was willing to pay as a fine. My wife advised we did not wish to pay anything as we were not guilty of a driving offence. Not being is a hurry I advised the Police officer (via my wife) I was perfectly willing to accompany them to their police station to make a statement (this was not a bluff but a genuine offer) . We were then waved on.

 

The other time was approaching Korat. I was pulled over with several other vehicles and told we were travelling in the pedestrian/motorcycle lane of the highway. My wife informed the officer we had been travelling along the normal slow moving path side lane.  He said that was not true and we can see we are in the pedestrian/motorcycle which he admitted was not well marked as the road had been repaired and the lines were mostly missing or faded. I told the officer we are in the pedestrian/motorcycle because he waved us to pull over which we and the others cars stopped had to change lane to do so. As before, I offered to go to the police station to make a statement. As before we were waved on.

 

Please do not thinks I am aggressive or that these conversions are anything other than respectful, polite and low voiced, but unlike many who are willing to go with the flow and pay fines when not guilty, I do not wish to give the impression I was offending when I am 100% certain I was not and had my wife as a witness to that fact. Had I realized I was in error or possibly in error on either occasion I would immediately have accepted guilt and fine. I have been driving now for 40 years in UK Spain and Thailand and only once have I been fined because I try my best to obey traffic laws. In that case I was fined in UK (and guilty) of parking near Leeds United's Elland Road in a nearby side road where many cars were parked. It turned out that the side road had a sign at the end saying no parking on match days (I found it after seeing the ticket on my windscreen which surprised me). I had come from London to the match and had not noticed the sign post whilst looking for a parking space and was not aware of the match day restrictions in some side roads in the proximately of Elland Road . Of course I paid the fine and offered an apology and offered no excuses as I was guilty (even if not with intent)