Road Traffic Act 1930

The Road Traffic Act 1930 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom introduced by the Minister of Transport Herbert Morrison.

Context

The last major legislation on road traffic was the Motor Car Act 1903. Amendments had been discussed in 1905,[1] 1913[2] and 1914[3] as the Motor Car Act (1903) Amendment Bill and Motor Car Act (1903) Amendment (No 2) Bill.[4] Since 1926 in which there were 4,886 fatalities in some 124,000 crashes a detailed set of national statistics (now known as Road Casualties Great Britain) had been collected.[5] It was not until 1929 that a new Road Traffic Bill was discussed in detail following a Royal Commission report on Transport, "The control of traffic on roads,"[6] which was adopted almost in its entirety.[7] During a parliamentary debate on making speedometers compulsory in 1932 it was suggested that speed limits for cars were removed by this Act because "the existing speed limit was so universally disobeyed that its maintenance brought the law into contempt" rather that for considerations of safety.[8]

Clauses

The Act repealed the Locomotive Act of 1865, the Locomotives on Highways Act 1896 and the Motor Car Act 1903 and introduced many new regulations which controversially included the removal of all speed limits on UK roads for motor cars.

Relating to motor cars

• Abolition of all speed limits for cars[9]
• Introduction of driving offences of dangerous, reckless and careless driving and driving whilst being unfit and under the influence of drink or drugs[9]
• Compulsory third-party insurance[9]
• The first UK driving tests for disabled drivers only[10]
• Classification of motor vehicles[9]
• Construction, weight and equipment of motor vehicles[9]
• Issue of Highway Code[9]

For public service vehicles

• Central regulation of UK coach services[11]
• Introduction of a 30-mile an hour speed limit for buses and coaches.[12]
• Issue of public service vehicles[9]
• Rules regarding the conduct of drivers, conductors and passengers on public service vehicles.
• Limitation of hours of continuous driving[9]

It was amended in 1988[13] and at other times.

Third Parties (Rights against Insurers) Act 1930

The Road Traffic Act 1930 was strengthened by the Third Parties (Rights against Insurers) Act 1930.[14]

Legacy

Many clauses introduced by the Act have been retained. Regulations relating to insurance, licensing and driving offences have continued to evolve since that date.

See also

• Hill v Baxter
• Locomotives on Highways Act 1896
• Motor Car Act 1903
• Road Casualties Great Britain
• Road speed limits in the United Kingdom
• Road Traffic Act 1934
• Road Traffic Act 1988
• Roads Act 1920

References

1. 1911 "MOTOR CAR ACT (1903) AMENDMENT BILL" Check |url= value (help). Hansard.
2. "MOTOR CAR ACT (1903) AMENDMENT BILL". Hansard.
3. "MOTOR CAR ACT (1903) AMENDMENT (No. 2) BILL". Hansard.
4. "Motor Car Act 1903". Hansard. Retrieved 16 April 2010.
5. "Road Casualties Great Britain: 2006 - Annual Report" (PDF). Department for Transport. p. 92. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 February 2010. Retrieved 9 January 2010. Road accident and casualty data was first collected on a national level in 1926. That year there were 4,886 recorded deaths in some 124,000 accidents."
6. "ROAD TRAFFIC BILL". Hansard. 16 July 1929. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
7. "Road Traffic and Safety Correspondence and Papers". National Archives. The Royal Commission on Transport issued in 1929 a report entitled "The Control of Traffic on Roads" which was adopted almost in its entirety and as a result the Road Traffic Act 1930 was enacted which among other provisions gave the Minister power to make Regulations about the construction and use of mechanically propelled vehicles and provided for the installation of traffic signs and signals by highway authorities subject to the approval of the Minister.
8. "Motor Vehicles and Speedmeters". Hansard. Retrieved 2 May 2010. It is sufficient to say that the reason why the speed limit was abolished was not that anybody thought the abolition would tend to the greater security of foot passengers, but that the existing speed limit was so universally disobeyed that its maintenance brought the law into contempt
9. "A summary of important legislation". DOE NI. Archived from the original on 3 September 2009.
10. "History of the British driving test". Driving Standards Agency.
11. "The initial crisis of bus service licensing 1931-34" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 July 2011. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
12. "Road traffic Act 1930" (PDF). opsi. p. 102. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
13. "Road Traffic Act 1988". Office of Public Sector Information. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
14. The law of motor insurance. Sweet & Maxwell. 2004. p. 7,8. ISBN 978-0-421-83930-4.

Further reading

• The control of traffic on roads. (Royal Commission on Transport 1929)
• The licensing and regulation of public service vehicles(Royal Commission on Transport 1929)
• Royal Commission on Transport - Final report
• Debate in the House of Lords - December 1929
• Debate in the House of Lords - January 1930

UK Legislation

• Text of the Road Traffic Act 1930 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.
• Text of the Third Parties (Rights Against Insurers) Act 1930 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.