On 28/04/2018 16:18, John Rumm wrote:
On 28/04/2018 13:58, Roger Hayter wrote:
dennis@home wrote:

On 28/04/2018 12:25, Roger Hayter wrote:

I thought everyone knew that.

I am not sure that the term "roadworthy" is well-defined in law.* For
instance, while it may be illegal to drive a car which has no MOT, I am
less convinced that it is illegal to drive a car with a valid MOT that
has a defective airbag warning light, whether or not a new MOT in the
currnency of the old has drawn this to your attention.* This may
well be
a matter of fact rather than of dogmatic opinion.




http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/52/section/75

You may note that it includes the terms that it is dangerous to you or
anyone else. This includes things like faulty safety systems like brakes
and airbags. Only a part of a system has to be faulty to be
unroadworthy, like the warning lights being on or not working.

That section relates to selling a vehicle.** You want section 42 of the
same act which makes it an offence to drive a care which fails to meet
*any* particular one of the construction and use regulations.** But you
still need to prove (rather than merely assert) that the failure of a
airbag warning light amounts to a breach of the construction and use
regulations.* I agree it is quite likely, but that would not be
sufficient basis for prosecution until the relevant clause in the regs
is found.

Given that its acceptable to disable an airbag (say when you have an
infant in a read facing seat on the passenger seat), then I would be
surprised if driving with a non functional airbag is actually an offence.



There is a difference between a faulty system and one being used as
intended. Suppose the fault caused the airbag to go off while there was
a child and seat there?