| Road Traffic Act | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Federal Assembly of Switzerland | |
| |
| Territorial extent | Switzerland |
| Enacted by | Federal Assembly of Switzerland |
| Enacted | 19 December 1958 |
| Commenced | 1 October 1959 |
| Status: Current legislation | |
The Road Traffic Act [a] is a Swiss federal law that governs traffic on public roads in Switzerland.
It was adopted on 19 December 1958 by the Federal Assembly and came into force on 1 October 1959. [1] Its legal basis comes from art. 82 (Road Transport) of the Federal Constitution. [2]
The law is supplemented by the Ordinance on Road Traffic Regulations. [b] [3]
The cantons had harmonised motor vehicle and bicycle traffic in the intercantonal agreements of 13 June 1904, 7 April 1914 and 29 December 1921. [4] By 1925, all cantons except Obwalden, Nidwalden, Glarus, Zug and Graubünden had joined the agreement. In 1932, road traffic became a federal matter and the Federal Act on Motor Vehicle and Bicycle Traffic was introduced. It abolished the intercantonal agreements and contradictory cantonal provisions became ineffective. [5]
In 1959, due to the increase in traffic density and mobility, the road traffic law was comprehensively revised, resulting in the Road Traffic Act that is in force today. [6]