Road Traffic Act 1960

Last updated
Road Traffic Law 1960
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Long title An Act to consolidate, with corrections and improvements made under the Consolidation of Enactments (Procedure) Act, 1949, certain enactments relating to road traffic.
Citation 8 & 9 Eliz. 2 c. 16
Territorial extent United Kingdom
Dates
Royal assent 1960
Status: Unknown
Text of statute as originally enacted

The Road Traffic Act 1960 (8 & 9 Eliz. 2 c. 16) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom consolidating prior road-traffic legislation. It provided statutory provisions on traffic offences, vehicle equipment and lighting, speed limits on restricted roads, control of motor trials, and the use of footpaths and bridleways by vehicles. The Act has been partially amended and repealed by subsequent road traffic legislation. [1]

Contents

Background

The Act was enacted to consolidate earlier statutes into a single system, with corrections and improvements under the Consolidation of Enactments (Procedure) Act 1949. The Bill, known as the "Road Traffic and Roads Improvement Bill" during its passage, was debated in both Houses of Parliament in 1960. [2]

Provisions

Significant areas covered by the Act include: [1]

CategorySection(s)Description
Traffic offencess.1–15Driving offences, conduct rules.
Vehicle equipments.16–18Lighting, reflectors, equipment.
Speed limitss.19–20Restricted road speed rules.
Footpaths & bridlewayss.21–23Use of non-road rights of way.
Enforcement & penaltiess.24–30Fines, prosecutions, summary offen.

Amendments and later legislation

The 1960 Act has been partially repealed or amended by later road traffic legislation, including successive Road Traffic Acts and the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. It was a consolidation statute and did not introduce radical policy changes, but subsequent amendments and reforms built on its structure. [3] [4]

Parliamentary history

Debate on the Bill is recorded in Hansard for both Houses. The discussions focused on enforcement, lighting provisions, and regulatory matters. [2] [5]

The Act has been cited in legal texts and academic literature as an important consolidation measurement in twentieth-century British road law, concerning road deaths and injuries. [6] [7] Contemporary annotated editions summarised its operation, and later scholarship references the Act's role in developing subsequent legislation, including accident compensation and vehicle regulation legislation. [2] [5] [8]

References

  1. 1 2 Parliament of the United Kingdom (1960). "Road Traffic Act 1960". legislation.gov.uk.
  2. 1 2 3 "Road Traffic And Roads Improvement Bill, Volume 621". hansard.parliament.uk. 1960 [11 April 1960]. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  3. ↑ Parliament of the United Kingdom. "Road Traffic (Consequential Provisions) Act 1988". legislation.gov.uk.
  4. ↑ Parliament of the United Kingdom. "Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984". legislations.gov.uk.
  5. 1 2 "Road Traffic And Roads Improvement Bill, Volume 224". hansard.parliament.uk. 1960 [5 July 1960]. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  6. ↑ Davies, Maurice Robert Russel (1961). The Law of Road Traffic.
  7. ↑ Bartrip, Peter (2010). "No-Fault Compensation On The Roads In Twentieth Century Britain". The Cambridge Law Journal. 69 (2): 263–286. doi:10.1017/S0008197310000474.
  8. ↑ "Road Traffic And Roads Improvement Bill, Volume 225". hansard.parliament.uk. 1960 [12 July 1960]. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
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