What standards does your car need to meet for safe driving on public roads?
A vehicle needs to satisfy various criteria to be permitted on the road. This holds true for the car you drive as well. For instance, a passenger car must be: properly constructed, offer adequate visibility to the driver, be well-maintained, and comply with legal vehicle standards.
Vehicle Requirements
- Maximum car dimensions
- 12 meters long
- 2.55 meters wide
- 4 meters high
- Weight: The registration certificate of every car states the maximum weight of an axle of the car and the maximum weight of the car including its load (permissible maximum mass).
- License plate - your car must display a clearly readable yellow GAlK license plate both at the front and rear.
- Brakes - a car must have a service brake (foot brake) that operates on all wheels and a parking brake (hand brake) that functions on at least two wheels. If the service brake fails, use your parking brake as an emergency stop.
- Steering system - a car must have a functioning steering system to ensure the wheels move according to the direction indicated by the steering wheel.
- Mirrors - your car must have an interior mirror as well as left and right exterior mirrors.
- Horn - a car must possess a fully operational horn with a single, constant pitch.
- Speedometer - the car must include a functional speedometer, visible even in darkness.
- Reverse gear - Motor vehicles with an authorized maximum mass exceeding 400 kg must be equipped with a gear that supports reversing.
- Wipers and sprayers - A working windshield wipers, sprayers, and defroster is mandatory for every car.
- Seat belts - All seating positions must have functional seat belts.
- Shock absorbers and carrying (suspension) springs - Cars are required to have working shock absorbers and suspension springs.
- Exhaust and muffler - Cars with an internal combustion engine must have an effective exhaust system. Emission of harmful substances should not surpass the stipulated amount for the car model. Moreover, the noise level should not exceed the specified norm (value in the vehicle registration) by more than 2 decibels.
Windows
The windshield and front side windows of a car:
- Must not be damaged;
- Must admit at least 55% of light;
- Light cannot be obstructed by objects hanging in the path.
‼️ If you wish to apply a sun-blocking film or coating to your windows, ensure they still allow at least 55% light penetration. This requirement does not apply to the back windows, which can be tinted darker if desired.
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
Dutch: Bandenspanningscontrolesysteem
Every new car must be equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system. TPMS checks your tire pressure and displays a message on your dashboard when it is too high or too low.
Benefits:
- Increases driving safety (correct tire pressure ensures good grip)
- Prevents unnecessary fuel consumption
- Prevents unnecessary tire wear
Tyres
- Must be pneumatic
- Must not reveal the tire carcass due to damage
- Must be free of bulges
- Should have a minimum tread depth of 1.6 mm (recommended at least 4 mm for winter tyres)
- Should not be re-profiled (deeply cut grooves)
- Must be the same size on a single axle
- Should maintain the correct tire pressure as specified by the car manufacturer
Turn Signals
A car must be equipped with:
- 2 front direction indicators in amber yellow or white
- 2 rear direction indicators in amber yellow or red
- 2 amber yellow side direction indicators (unnecessary if front indicators can be seen diagonally from the rear of the car).
Hazard Warning Lights
A car must have fully functional hazard warning lights at both front and rear.
Front Car Lighting
A car must be equipped at the front with:
- City lights (2x) white or yellow;
- Dipped beam (2x) white or yellow;
- High beams (2x) white or yellow;
- Daytime running lights (for cars built after February 7, 2011);
- Direction indicators (2x) white or amber yellow;
- Hazard lights (2x) white or amber yellow.
Lights on each side must have equal intensity/strength.
Side Car Lighting
Lights and retro-reflectors - a car longer than 6 meters must have amber side marker lights and at least two amber retro-reflectors on each side.
Rear Car Lighting
A car must be equipped with:
- Red rear lights (2x)
- Red retroreflectors (2x)
- Brake lights (3x)
- Reversing light (1x)
- Rear fog light (1x)
- License plate lighting
• Rear lights - the two red rear lights must be on at the same time as the side lights, dipped beams, high beams or rear fog lights. • Retroreflectors - the two red retroreflectors may be incorporated into the glass of the rear lights. They should not be in the shape of a triangle. • Brake lights - a car must have three working brake lights (one in the center of the rear). • Reversing light - your car must have one, but may also have two, reversing lights. • Rear fog light - your car must have one, but may also have two rear fog lights. • License plate lighting - this lighting must be on at the same time as the parking lights, dipped beams, high beams or fog lights.
Reflector: reflects the light that shines on it. When another vehicle shines its lights on the car, makes it even more visible.
Useful to have
These are not mandatory, but useful to have:
- A warning triangle
- A safety hammer
- Spare lamps and additional fuse
- A spare wheel
- First-aid kit
- Fire extinguisher
Fuse: If one of the lamps is broken, the fuse may have blown. A fuse blows when the circuit is overloaded, so the wiring of the circuit in question remains intact. A fuse is easy to replace yourself. Practice it at home in the driveway, so you know what to do if you encounter this defect along the way. The same applies to changing a tire or replacing a lamp.
Homecoming ❓This is a special type of tyre meant to return back only, not for regular driving, you can use this wheel to get home in an emergency. You must then adjust your speed (maximum 80 km per hour).