Does anyone know the actual law regarding wearing a full face helmet in a road going car.
For example is it legal on UK roads to wear a full face helmet with a clear visor in say a caterham or an Atom if they dont have screens or even a 340r Lotus.
I always used to wear one in my car but recently i have been told that this may be illegal here in the UK and is only down to traffic Police descretion that they don’t book you.
Is this true ?
Not sure, but the Stig drove from Caterham (in one) to Knockhill wearing his helmet so assume it’s legal. I doubt there are separate laws for open top/no screen cars.
I think some of the road tests in EVO see the drivers wearing helmets in the type of car you describe.
I can’t believe that in this Health & Safety frenzied era, that the police would penalise you for protecting yourself properly ?? But then again…?
I can believe that they may pull you over for a word if you were wearing a helmet in a closed car, or possibly even a car with a screen, but doubt its actually illegal.
More a question of why would you need one of those unless you were doing something else that was illegal.
No identification issues? - it’s a no no in some places as the speed camera has to show the driver clearly or cannot be enforced. Or in Singapore where full face are outright illegal (on bikes also) due to age old concerns about masking faces during crime
I also bet that they would pull you over for wearing headsets too…
Something like “ello ello … you can’t hear sirens with that clobber on ?”
Thought about this when Tiff Needell took the Mc,Laren out for a spin…
Crazy laws sometimes…
All very interesting stuff, i have also struggled to find the legal answer…
Common sense I think prevails here.
I would expect to be pulled over by any respectable police officer and asked to remove a helmet in either a tin top /rag top motor and get a bollockin’ aswell. Probably on the basis it is an obstruction to the field of vision/spacial awarness, what with added windows, surrounds and door pillars in place etc.
For pure open top motoring Caterham/2-11/Atom etc. The use of a UK approved motorcycle helmet is probably advisable for 95% of the driving youll be doing in it anyway and I doubt any officer (even the knob head ones) would ever pull you for wearing it…
Ahh…but what if you were in a tin-top car with no windscreen ?
think it is illegal Dave, certainly an mot failure.