There are those who would leave their own child at home if in exchange they could put the bicycle in the trunk of the car. I know what I’m talking about, I know some practical cases. And beyond opening the debate on whether we should call the officials in charge of ensuring the care of minors, we can guarantee that the DGT is not going to have so many concerns.
And that’s what to wear a bicycle incorrectly placed in the car is grounds for a fine. Specifically, a penalty of 200 euros for carrying the cargo poorly packaged, as stated in article 76 of the Traffic Law.
Although beyond the possible fine, carry the bike correctly It is also essential to guarantee the safety of the passengers themselves. It must be taken into account that objects that are not properly secured can become real projectiles and in the case of a bicycle, which usually requires the seats to be folded down, it can be much more dangerous.
To give us an idea, it is calculated that at 50 km/h an object multiplies its weight by 50 when thrown into the void. These are data from the DGT that are scary and that should make us think if we have the car seats folded down to carry the bicycle in any way inside.
Having said all this, let’s review what the alternatives are.
What can I do to carry a bicycle in the car?
As the colleagues of Motorpassionnot everything goes when transporting a bicycle because we will be risking a good fine and our own integrity.
In that case, there are three solutions that we must take into account to choose the one that best suits us.
If what we want is carry the bicycle inside the carThe most effective thing is to use anchors. To do this we must have adjustable straps that attach to the vehicle’s fixing points that we can find on the vehicle seats themselves. In any case, they are points that are not always in the same places.
However, if you can’t find these points or they are not entirely practical, you can always find some bike fixing kits that are sold for the interior of passenger cars. Of course, it is important to look at the size because they are often designed for vans.
Another option is to mount the bike on top of the vehicle, on the roof. It is not the most recommended because the car will consume more but, above all, we will be more exposed to side wind, making the mobility of the vehicle difficult. Of course, regarding the regulations, we can rest assured because the General Vehicle Regulations allows the load to reach a maximum of four meters high.
In this case we will need a roof rack or roof bars previously installed on the car. The kits to take advantage of this possibility are diverse. There are those that fix the bicycle frame, others in which we can mount the bicycle with both wheels on and, in the last case, turn it over and hold it by the saddle and handlebars, with the wheels facing up. In any case, it is very important to ensure that the bicycle is securely fixed.
The last and most recommended option, but also more expensive, is to opt for a bike rack. There are those that are installed on the tailgate and, in this way, are easily dismantled and assembled and there are those that are hitched like a trailer. In this case, it must be reflected in the vehicle’s technical sheet and pass the ITV when installing the modification if the original vehicle did not have the tow ball.
Despite this, if you regularly use the bicycle and want get the most out of the trunkis still the best option. However, keep in mind that the load cannot protrude across the width of the vehicle and lengthwise it cannot extend more than 10% of its total length if the load is divisible and 15% if it is not.
Furthermore, in this last case you have to mount one of V-20 signal. If the load occupies the entire width of the vehicle, two signs of this type must be mounted (one at each end) and in no case can the car’s license plate be covered. It must be taken into account that driving with a poorly legible license plate can also result in a fine of 200 euros.
Photo | Motorpassion and Gabe Pierce
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