Convention on Road Traffic (Hansard, 24 October 1949)

§ Mr. Barnes

The Convention on Road Traffic was signed on behalf of His Majesty's Government at Geneva but has not yet been ratified. It is my desire to answer the hon. Member in some detail and I am circulating a full statement in HANSARD.

Following is the statement:

The Convention on Road Traffic will not necessitate any change in the Rules of the Road as laid down by Statute or in the Highway Code; nor, since the Protocol on this subject was not signed on behalf of the United Kingdom, will our present road signs and signals have to be altered.

The principal changes that would flow from ratification of the Convention would be:—

(i) that the United Kingdom would recognise the registration certificates of vehicles temporarily brought into this country issued by the other Contracting States, instead of requiring the International Certificate issued under the Motor Traffic Convention of 1926;
(ii) that the holders of foreign driving permits or of International Driving Permits issued under the 1926 Motor Traffic Convention or the 1943 Inter-American Automotive Traffic Convention would be permitted to drive in this country without obtaining British driving licences;
(iii) that, in so far as this is not already the case, drivers visiting this country and holding national or international permits to drive heavy goods vehicles or public service 80 vehicles could drive such vehicles in this country without the need for a vocational driving licence provided they were not less than 18 years of age;
(iv) that after a transitional period, every motor vehicle registered in this country and any trailer drawn thereby, when taken into the territory of another Contracting State, would need the following equipment which is not obligatory under our legislation:—

Motor Vehicles

Two passing lights (one, in the case of motor cycles with or without sidecar).

Two red reflectors (one, in the case of motor cycles without sidecar).

One stop light (except on motor cycles).

Trailers

Two red reflectors.

One stop light. An automatic braking device which would act when the trailer became detached (except on two-wheeled camping trailers or certain light luggage trailers, provided that these were fitted with a secondary attachment such as a chain or wire rope, in addition to the drawbar).

To effect the changes set out in paragraphs (i), (ii) and (iii) and other changes of a relatively minor character required to implement the Convention it will be necessary to replace the Motor Car (International Circulation) Order, 1930, by a new Order in Council under the Motor Car (International Circulation) Act, 1909, and to modify the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations, 1936, the Motor Vehicles (International Circulation) Regulations, 1941, the Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) Regulations, 1949, and certain regulations under the Road Traffic Acts, including the Motor Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations, 1947.

The changes set out in paragraph (iv) will become operative two years after the Convention comes into force in the case of new motor vehicles and trailers drawn thereby, and five years after the Convention comes into force in the case of all other vehicles. These requirements for foreign travel will not necessarily involve any change in the Regulations governing the domestic use of such vehicles.

The Convention provides that on roads designated by a Contracting State vehicles may be used in international traffic with weights and dimensions exceeding those at present allowed in this country; but it 81W is not obligatory on a State to designate any such roads.

The Convention will not abrogate the Motor Traffic Convention of 1926, which will remain in force between this country and any other Contracting Parties to that Convention who do not adhere to the new Convention.

The Convention will be presented to Parliament as a Command Paper as soon as possible.