The Ref Stop

POWER!

T

Top man in the parish

Active Member
Level 5 Referee
Do you drive your own car to games each week? How regularly do you check it? It should really be every week, not only for reliability, but for safety's sake too. You'd do exactly that with your kit bags!

Okay, it's not actually to do with whistleblowing, but here's a bit of advice (trick of the trade) that might be especially useful with weather conditions likely to become poorer over the next few months, and an easy way to remember what to check POWER, Petrol, Oil Water Electrics,Rubber (Diesel knackers the acronym up, sorry!) This actually applies all year round.

1)Fuel, engine oil and coolant are going to make your car go much better, yet are the main contributors to minor breakdowns becoming major problems if not checked regularly. Washer bottles of course need to be filled, including a cleaning agent, by law! A fine and 3 points awaits if PC Plod discovers you on the Queens highway without any!

2) Electrics include all your lights working properly (see PC Plod above) and the working condition of your heater matrix and blowers/ window heaters needs to be up to scratch, de-misting your windows before driving off to or back from a game usually prevents accidents and irreversible squints!

3) Rubber includes heater/water hoses, windscreen wipers and tyres (3 points per tyre! PC Plod frowns badly on these chappies!) which must be in good condition and working order, and in the case of tyres, properly inflated and within the legal tread limits

This information actually came from a Police Traffic Officer referee colleague a few years ago which we circulated locally. Whilst I politely joke saying PC Plod, his message is actually as important as it was then, we should make our own safety, and that of all other road users, a top priority when driving to and from games, and at all other times. It'll reduce the likelihood of failing to simply get to your game because of breakdown too!

Happy whistling!
 
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The Ref Stop
If you do get stopped by PC Plod, is it worthwhile asking him "not to send it in", suggesting that you'll give him a better score out of 100? Perhaps you could argue that you've never seen the laws of the road, and that you've never seen anyone picked up on this on any of the Police, Stop! type programmes that you've seen on the TV. And anyway, you wouldn't pull over a professional driver like Lewis Hamilton for this, so why should it apply to a grass-roots driver like yourself? Finally, argue that the offroad law is flawed, and that driving on the pavement is never offroad!
 
[QUOTE=" POWER, Petrol, Oil Water Electrics,Rubber (Diesel knackers the acronym up, sorry!) This actually applies all year round.![/QUOTE]

That's why the correct acronym is FLOWER - Fuel, lights, oil, water, electrics and rubber.

Also called a First Parade by some. Checked daily, recorded, defects rectified before being allowed on the public highway.

Maybe its cos I used to be a transport manager, but now Im the auditor......
 
xPositor said:
If you do get stopped by PC Plod, is it worthwhile asking him "not to send it in", suggesting that you'll give him a better score out of 100? Perhaps you could argue that you've never seen the laws of the road, and that you've never seen anyone picked up on this on any of the Police, Stop! type programmes that you've seen on the TV. And anyway, you wouldn't pull over a professional driver like Lewis Hamilton for this, so why should it apply to a grass-roots driver like yourself? Finally, argue that the offroad law is flawed, and that driving on the pavement is never offroad!
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Just tell him you're a police officer too. :rolleyes:
 
PinnerPaul said:
My "plan" is to leave all that nonsense to my son - he is a mechanic!:)
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but he cant take the points and fines for you ...... the DRIVER is ultimately responsilbe, inc that there is enough screen was to adequaltey clear the windscreeen - ucully 3 secodns worth but that is at the deicretion of the copper. Tyres, that's all yours for £2500 and 3 points each.
 
HRW said:
but he cant take the points and fines for you ...... the DRIVER is ultimately responsilbe, inc that there is enough screen was to adequaltey clear the windscreeen - ucully 3 secodns worth but that is at the deicretion of the copper. Tyres, that's all yours for £2500 and 3 points each.
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What I meant was, he checks all that malarkey for me - time he paid me back for watching him play football for nearly 10 years!:p
 
I'm glad you pointed out Fuel makes your car go better - been wondering why it wouldn't work for ages!

bonus question - what is the limit on tyre tread?!
 
1.6 mm legal limit across the cntre 2/3 of the tyre, for the full circumferance. 1.8mm min recommended for summer, 2mm for winter tread.

If you have uneven wear you've got problems.

NB in the tyre tread (that goes around the tyre) there are little bars that are raised across the tread, as such when the tread gets down to this bar, you are AT 1.6mm, generally there are 3 of these cross wear-bars in each grove of the tread.
 
Mostly that someone has hit the kerb, or a speedhump, too fast and put the tracking out of alignment. Should be checked as part of an MOT but it is not a pass or fail item unless a safety issue. only need a couple of mm from straight and the tyres are scrubbing sideways not rolling true. as such most uneven wear is on the inside of the tyre tread, whereas the outside of the tread ppears OK - if ou ever think "I get a lot of miles from my tyres" then you might be at risk. inside smooth, outside 3mm = problem!
 
HRW said:
1.6 mm legal limit across the cntre 2/3 of the tyre, for the full circumferance. 1.8mm min recommended for summer, 2mm for winter tread.

If you have uneven wear you've got problems.

NB in the tyre tread (that goes around the tyre) there are little bars that are raised across the tread, as such when the tread gets down to this bar, you are AT 1.6mm, generally there are 3 of these cross wear-bars in each grove of the tread.
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The warning bars are actually set at 2mm.

Tyres are past their best (and therefore advised to be changed) at 3mm. Emergancy services standard is no tyre gets to 3mm, such is the drop off in performance after that.

Must be at or above 1.6mm across minimum 3/4 of tread, not 2/3. Can be bald on remaining 1/4 but not showing innards (cords) of tyre structure.
 
HRW said:
Mostly that someone has hit the kerb, or a speedhump, too fast and put the tracking out of alignment. Should be checked as part of an MOT but it is not a pass or fail item unless a safety issue. only need a couple of mm from straight and the tyres are scrubbing sideways not rolling true. as such most uneven wear is on the inside of the tyre tread, whereas the outside of the tread ppears OK - if ou ever think "I get a lot of miles from my tyres" then you might be at risk. inside smooth, outside 3mm = problem!
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Alignment can be knocked out at any point by even a pothole, and larger width wheels are more susceptible.

Alignment is not part of an MOT. Tyres only fail MOT if they don't meet above criteria.

Generally tracking only needs to be 0.5mm out of spec to scrub tyres, but most manufacturers don't set the wheels yo parallel as standard due to caster, camber and suspension type.
 
@RegalRef I must correct you - @HRW was correct first time, so long as cords/wiring (whatever you want to call it) then it has to be lower than 1.6mm across 2/3's of the tyre, not 3/4's - a tyres life is measured in 3rds - out, inner, centre tread

also, a tyre is not past its peak at 3mm - it is 2mm - tyre manufacturers say 3mm as it is good business! that's like A&H saying that 'its best to replace your match kit yearly' ha-ha! but all 'motoring organisations' will tell you 2mm is the performance barrier

but back at you @HRW as @RegalRef is correct when it concerns the MOT side - a wheel alignment/tracking etc. is not ruled under MOT regulations and a track rod end would only fail an MOT if loose/faulty not if it isn't adjusted correctly

uneven tyre wear can be anything from:

Suspension not being evenly set on each corner
uneven brake wear
tracking/alignment
camber (if the wheel sits straight or tilts either way)
tow (if the wheel faces in/out or straight ahead)

or a common one is if you do not change your tyres by axel! remember ... always change tyres by axel - if you get a non repair puncture in a front tyre, replace the other front too!
 
Err to quote myself "it is not a pass or fail item unless a safety issue"

Anything that the inspector deems to be a safety issue can be a fail, part of the MOT or not.

So on your logic, as long as everything is attached but lets say the tracking is out 90mm, it would pass? If yes, please let me know where your MOT tester is so I can get my fleets of vehicles (circa 4k) to avoid at all costs.

Move into the PMI world and it's a regular check, but then again I don't suppose may take their tractor units to games eh?
 
HRW said:
Err to quote myself "it is not a pass or fail item unless a safety issue"

Anything that the inspector deems to be a safety issue can be a fail, part of the MOT or not.
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Wrong.

An MOT is a check of specific items in a prescribed manner. Vehicles CAN be dangerous and pass, if the dangerous nature is not part of the test.

For example the bonnet latch may be faulty or missing, leaving the bonnet liable to fly up into the windscreen at speeds above 5mph.

Can't fail it as it is not part of the test. No part of the test says 'check the bonnet catch', therefore it cannot fail, despite being clearly dangerous.

It can be advised as dangerous, but the tester cannot fail a vehicle on a part that does not fall within the requirements of the test.
 
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