Roll Cages in Road Cars, NSW, Australia

[Dalton Veitch]

In the current Open Road magazine (journal of the NRMA, the major motorists'association in the state of NSW), is published a disturbing letter. The major portion reads as follows:

"I have a road registered 1976 911 Porsche Targa. Recently my mechanic took the car out for a test drive after putting in a nrew clutch. He was doing 40km/h when police stopped him. The (factory) canary yellow livery probably caught their eye. He received a defect notice, which included a directive to remove the after-market roll cage section from around the driver/passenger area.
This car has been on the road in its current configuration for 10 years without any drama from the police. I drove it in the Targa Tasmania event at least five times. I have driven for 40 years without losing a single point. I am conscious of road safety, and the forces involved when cars come together.
The RTA's position is that the roll cage could intrude into another vehicle in a collision. A 1976 Porsche 911 Targa weighs 1030kg. Most 4WDs weigh between 2000kg and 3000kg.
Imagine one hitting my car at 60km/h. I wonder which configuration the RTA would be most at ease with while sitting at their Crash Test Facility, with their pen and notebook at the ready?" (Name and suburb supplied).

[Trevor Booth]

for some time now , full cage roll bars have been a no no or in the least difficult to certify.

half cage behind driver no problem generally.

the cop cannot direct removal, they can say have it certified for road use.

best way is to have the front half removable so it can be installed for comp use

[Craig White]

Dalton, interesting letter. Sounds like it was an uncertified race cage.

Each state in Australia treats roll cages in ICV's(Kit Cars) differently.

To cover all bases we supply all our RCR-40 6 point cage with a removable front section, gives the owner plenty of options. And as Trevor indicated can be installed when required.

I personally don't like to see kit cars without some sort of cage as there is usually no real strength to the roof structure, that's if they even have a roof.

Plus the cage structure can be incorporated and used to provide a substantial mounting base for items such as seat belts, door strikers etc.

[Doug Clark]

From the NCOP's which are gradually being adopted by all states it appears...

"1 SAFETY
The majority of internal roll-bars or roll-cages were originally designed for use in competition
vehicles where the driver and any passengers are required to wear helmets. In normal
road use, occupants of motor vehicles do not wear helmets, therefore any modifications to the
inside of the cabin must be carefully designed to reduce the risk of injuries to all occupants in the
event of a crash.
Six-point roll-cages that have supports running down the A pillars and B pillars, and braces
running to the rear are not acceptable for normal road use as the additional forward supports are
likely to constitute an increased injury risk to front seat occupants in a crash. They typically
decrease visibility for the driver and usually prevent the correct positioning of sun-visors.
Registration Authorities may allow the use of specialised or six-point roll-cages for
competition purposes. However, in these cases, the vehicles to which they are fitted have
restricted access to the road system or are conditionally registered. Persons who wish to fit
specialised or six-point roll-cages for competition or other purposes must consult with their
respective Registration Authority for further information. These types of roll-cages are not covered
by Code LK8"

Read:

http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/roa..._01Jan2011.pdf

From page 41 on.

This is why I built the front ROP as the windscreen support, so its not a 6 point roll cage in the first place. A while ago talking to CAM's about the potential legality of my car, they told me that front ROP to the CAMS std was not possible so they were treated as if they were open top cars.

[Craig White]

Spot on Doug, reduced front visibility is an issue especially when the cage would need minimum of 20mm padding.

Our SL-C kits run the cage as essentially roof structure, the cage is covered by the interior panels.