XN000022-1983-10-05 — Page 27

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1983

THIRD, AND MOST SIGNIFICANTLY, THEY AIM AT PROMOTING GREATER SAFETY ON ROADS THROUGH HEAVIER PENALTIES TO DETER PEOPLE FROM USING OUR ROADS RECKLESSLY AND INCONSIDERATELY AND HIGHER AND SAFER STANDARDS AND EQUIPMENT BEING USED IN VEHICLES.

+THE NEW LEGISLATION ALSO GIVES POWERS TO THE COMMISSIONER FOR TRANSPORT TO REQUIRE A DRIVING INSTRUCTOR TO BE RE-TESTED SO AS TO KEEP UP THE TEACHING STANDARD.+

BUT MR SO STRESSED THAT NOT ALL DRIVING INSTRUCTORS ARE REQUIRED UNDER THE NEW LEGISLATION TO BE RE-TESTED - ONLY THOSE WHOSE STANDARD OF INSTRUCTION IS CONSIDERED BY THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT TO BE INADEQUATE WOULD BE CALLED UP FOR RE-TESTING.

UNDER THE NEW LEGISLATION, GOODS VEHICLES ARE RECLASSIFIED INTO FOUR CATEGORIES - LIGHT, MEDIUM, HEAVY AND ARTICULATED VEHICLES AND EACH CATEGORY WILL REQUIRE A SEPARATE DRIVING LICENCE.

MR SO SAID THE AIM WAS TO RECOGNISE THAT DIFFERENT DRIVING SKILLS ARE REQUIRED FOR HANDLING DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF GOODS VEHICLES, AND TO PROMOTE GREATER ROAD SAFETY BY ENSURING DRIVERS OF EACH CATEGORY OF GOODS VEHICLES DO POSSESS THE PROPER SKILLS TO HANDLE THE VEHICLES SAFELY.

BUT EXISTING DRIVERS NEED NOT FEAR THE NEW LEGISLATION WILL AFFECT THEIR LIVELIHOOD - IT ALLOWS ALL HOLDERS OF EXISTING GOODS VEHICLE DRIVING LICENCE TO BE AUTOMATICALLY RELICENSED TO DRIVE ALL LIGHT, MEDIUM AND HEAVY GOODS VEHICLES.

+ONLY THOSE WHO WANT TO DRIVE ARTICULATED VEHICLES WILL BE REQUIRED TO TAKE A NEW TEST, HE SAID.

ALSO UNDER THE NEW LEGISLATIONS, TRAFFIC SIGNS WILL BE MUCH SIMPLIFIED AND ALTHOUGH SOME 60 ODD NEW SIGNS WILL BE INTRODUCED, MORE OLD ONES WILL BE DROPPED.

THE SPEED LIMIT ON ALL ROADS WILL BE SET AT A UNIFORM 50 KM/H UNLESS OTHERWISE SIGNPOSTED.

THE NEW LEGISLATION ALSO REQUIRES THAT DRIVERS AGED 70 OR ABOVE WILL ONLY BE ISSUED WITH A DRIVING LICENCE IF THEY CAN PRODUCE A MEDICAL CERTIFICATE SHOWING THAT THEY ARE STILL MEDICALLY FIT TO DRIVE.

ON ABANDONED VEHICLES, THE NEW LAWS ALSO HAVE PROVISIONS TO SIMPLIFY AND SPEED UP THE PROCEDURES FOR REMOVING AND DISPOSING ABANDONED VEHICLES.

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