The Road Traffic Act, 1962
| Author | P. K. Jempson |
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X6203500610 |
| Date | 01 November 1962 |
| Published date | 01 November 1962 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
CHIEF
INSP.
P.
K.
JEMPSON
Surrey Constabulary
The
Road
Trame
Aet,
1962
THE LATEST substantial milestone along the endlessly winding road
of traffic law (10 &11 Eliz. 2 Ch. 59) is dated August 1, 1962, and is
to be brought into operation by statutory instruments. As an amend-
ing statute, it follows the trend
of
the Licensing Act, 1961, and needs
to be read very closely for full interpretation.
It
is also useful to
remember that there are reasonable limits beyond which no Govern-
ment can go at any given time in legislating to deal with a particular
kind of offence, but it IS possible to move gradually toward an
objective which is currently unpopular. For, at present, the police-
man is accepted as a willing servant to maintain the flow of traffic
but rejected as an irritant to individuals whose driving and parking
is questioned.
Enactments mentioned in the fourth of the five schedules to the
1962 Act, have effect subject to the amendments consequential on the
foregoing provisions of this Act, and some appear only in a schedule.
(Section 51 (1).) The final section of the new Act requires that it shall
be construed as one with the principal Act of 1960, except so far as
it amends any other enactment. (Section 52 (2).)
Section 19 (1) provides that aHOVER VEHICLE, designed to be
supported on a cushion
of
air shall be:
(a) a motor vehicle,whether or not it is adapted or intended for use on roads; but
(b) treated, subject to new Regulations, as of a different class or type from those
set out in s. 253 (2) to (8) of the 1960 Act.
Any regulations made MAY apply or modify provisions of the
Road Traffic Act, 1960, or the Road Transport Lighting Act, 1957,
in relation to hover vehicles.
The
Road
Traffic Act, 1962, does not affect the amended Con-
struction and Use Regulations which operate from November 1,
1962, but deals with many different aspects
of
the law relating to
highways, from the alteration
of
penalties for certain offences to the
wearing
of
protective headgear.
It
includes evidence
of
unfitness to
drive, driving without consent, speed limits, offences by holders of
carrier's licences, provisions for lighting, and pedal cycles. Also,
in s. 49, it defines ROAD as " any length of highway or of any other
road to whichthe public has access."
Only items
of
more immediate interest can be dealt with in the
space available here.
407 November-December 1962
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