Is it legal to drive with my boot open.

Weird_Nev

spadoosh wrote: »

Surely 'driving without due care and attention' is the law that covers this.

No, Driving a vehicle in a dangerous condition, or insecure loads would normally be more appropriate.

If the OP ensures that neither of these are the case, then he hasn't got a problem.

poppasmurf_bewdley

:xmassign: Just to make those who criticized my comment about a ban happy, I've changed what I said to "This is a very dangerous thing to do and if he is seen by the police, any driver will deserve a ban."

paddedjohn

poppasmurf_bewdley wrote: »

:xmassign: Just to make those who criticized my comment about a ban happy, I've changed what I said to "This is a very dangerous thing to do and if he is seen by the police, any driver will deserve a ban."

Why would anyone deserve a ban for carrying a couple of pieces of wood in their car? This thread is taking on a mind of its own imagining all sorts of outcomes that very very rarely happen.

paddedjohn

Does anyone remember the short film from 1967 starring Eric Sykes, Tommy Cooper and a host of other comic greats, called 'The Plank'? this thread reminds me of it.

Gloomendoom

Norman_Castle wrote: »

Opening the window will cause fumes to be drawn into the car. Keep the windows closed.

IMHO that is bad advice. It certainly does not reflect my experience. I have driven thousands of miles in an open backed Land Rover and used various cars with the tailgate open dozens of times. Land Rover actually make what they call a fume curtain for use when running with the back open. It seals off the load area from the cabin so that the windows and scuttle vents can be shut without the risk of asphyxiation.

Windows open, no fumes. Windows shut, fumes in the cabin. It's no biggie though. Try it both ways and use the method that gives the best results.

Gloomendoom

All the stuff about bans and fines is nonsense if the load is secured properly and isn't a hazard to the OP or other road users. Just use common sense.

The penalty for a dangerous or insecure load is 3 points and whatever the fixed penalty fine is currently. The code is CU50. I remember because I got given one a few years ago when I managed to block the northbound carriageway of the A34 with a load I was carrying. My fault because I, as the driver, failed to check a loaded trailer before I towed it.

I do remember that film "The Plank"

split_second

i bought fence posts recently, delivery was free cos i was only a couple of miles up the road, they had decent sized pick-ups as i remember

poppasmurf_bewdley

paddedjohn wrote: »

Why would anyone deserve a ban for carrying a couple of pieces of wood in their car? This thread is taking on a mind of its own imagining all sorts of outcomes that very very rarely happen.

I'm not talking about people who carry a few pieces of wood in their cars - I'm talking of the idiots who carry shafts of wood sticking out of their nearside windows trying to do an impression of a knight on horseback in a jousting contest. I actually know someone who was seriously injured by a moron doing exactly that.

It was to the suggestion that you could open your passenger window and stick wood out of there that I was originally replying to - not to people who have a few pieces of wood protruding from their boot.

brokenant

Just to say thanks for the replies.
My journey was without incident, boot and fence posts were properly and safely secured. My only concern was about the number plate at an angle and getting pulled by a pernickety officer of the law.

scheming_gypsy

poppasmurf_bewdley wrote: »

There have been several instances of drivers doing this and hitting people on the pavement, and indeed I believe at least one pedestrian has been killed by some idiot doing just this. This is a very dangerous thing to do and if he is seen by the police, any driver will deserve a ban.

your visual image of it seems to be different than mine. With mine the only way it would hit people on the pavement is if the car is there. They wouldn't be sticking 2feet out of the car sideways, but forward