Road Traffic Act 1972

Furnishing of information and production of documents

159 Power of police to stop vehicles

A person driving a motor vehicle on a road and a person riding a cycle, not being a motor vehicle, on a road shall stop the same on being so required by a constable in uniform, and if he fails to do so he shall be guilty of an offence.

160 Weighing of motor vehicles

(1) Subject to any regulations made by the Secretary of State, it shall be lawful for a person authorised by a highway authority, or for a constable authorised on behalf of a highway authority by a police authority or a chief officer of police, on production of his authority, to require the person in charge of a motor vehicle to allow the vehicle or any trailer drawn thereby to be weighed, either laden or unladen, and the weight transmitted to the road by any parts of the vehicle or trailer in contact with the road to be tested, and for that purpose to proceed to a weighbridge or other machine for weighing vehicles; and if a person in charge of a motor vehicle refuses or neglects to comply with any such requirement, he shall be guilty of an offence:

Provided that it shall not be lawful for a person or constable so authorised to require the person in charge of the motor vehicle to unload the vehicle or trailer, or to cause or allow it to be unloaded, for the purpose of its being weighed unladen.

(2) If at the time when the requirement is made the vehicle is more than one mile from the weighbridge or other machine, and the weight is found to be within the limits authorised by law the highway authority on whose behalf the requirement is made shall pay, in respect of loss occasioned, such amount as in default of agreement may be determined by a single arbitrator agreed upon by the parties, or in default of agreement appointed by the Secretary of State.

(3) Where a motor vehicle or trailer is weighed under this section, a certificate of weight shall be given to the person in charge of the vehicle and the certificate so given shall exempt the motor vehicle and the trailer, if any, from being weighed so long as it is during the continuance of the same journey carrying the same load.

(4) A certifying officer appointed under Part III of the [1960 c. 16.] Road Traffic Act 1960 or an examiner appointed under section 56 of this Act or any of the Secretary of State's officers authorised by him in that behalf may at any time, on production of his authority, exercise with respect to the weighing of goods vehicles all such powers as are under the foregoing provisions of this section exercisable by a constable authorised as therein mentioned with respect to the weighing of motor vehicles and trailers, and the said provisions shall apply accordingly with the substitution in subsection (2), for references to the highway authority on whose behalf the requirement is made and the Secretary of State of references respectively to the Secretary of State and the Lord Chief Justice of England or, as the case may be, the Lord President of the Court of Session.

161 Power of constables to require production of driving licences and in certain cases statement of date of birth

(1) Any such person as follows, that is to say,—

(a) a person driving a motor vehicle on a road, or

(b) a person whom a constable has reasonable cause to believe to have been the driver of a motor vehicle at a time when an accident occurred owing to its presence on a road, or

(c) a person whom a constable has reasonable cause to believe to have committed an offence in relation to the use of a motor vehicle on a road, or

(d) a person who supervises the holder of a provisional licence granted under Part III of this Act while the holder is driving a motor vehicle on a road or whom a constable has reasonable cause to believe was supervising the holder of such a licence while driving at a time when an accident occurred owing to the presence of the vehicle on a road or at a time when an offence is suspected of having been committed by the said holder in relation to the use of the vehicle on a road,

shall, on being so required by a constable, produce for examination his licence to drive a motor vehicle granted under Part III of this Act, so as to enable the constable to ascertain the name and address of the holder of the licence, the date of issue, and the authority by which it was issued; and shall in prescribed circumstances, on being so required by the constable, state his date of birth.

(2) Where a licence to drive a motor vehicle granted under Part III of this Act has been revoked by the Secretary of State under section 87 or 89 thereof then if the holder of the licence fails to deliver it to the Secretary of State in pursuance of that section a constable may require him to produce it, and upon its being produced may seize it and deliver it to the Secretary of State.

(3) Where a constable has reasonable cause to believe that the person to whom a licence to drive a motor vehicle has been granted under Part III of this Act, or any other person, has knowingly made a false statement for the purpose of obtaining the grant of the licence the constable may require the holder of the licence to produce it to him.

(4) If a person required under the foregoing provisions of this section to produce a licence or state his date of birth to a constable fails to do so he shall be guilty of an offence; but if within five days after the production of his licence was so required he produces the licence in person at such police station as may have been specified by him at the time its production was required, he shall not be convicted of an offence under this subsection.

(5) Where in accordance with this section a person has stated his date of birth to a constable, the Secretary of State may serve on that person a notice in writing requiring him to furnish the Secretary of State—

(a) with such evidence in that person's possession or obtainable by him as the Secretary of State may specify for the purposes of verifying that date ; and

(b) if his name differs from his name at the time of his birth, with a statement in writing specifying his name at that time;

and a person who knowingly fails to comply with a notice under this subsection shall be guilty of an offence.

(6) A notice authorised to be served on any person by subsection (5) above may be served on him by delivering it to him or by leaving it at his proper address or by sending it to him by post; and for the purposes of this subsection and section 26 of the Interpretation Act 1889 in its application to this subsection the proper address of any person shall be his latest address as known to the person giving the notice.

162 Power of constables to obtain names and addresses of drivers and others, and to require production of evidence of insurance or security and test certificates

(1) Any such person as follows, that is to say,—

(a) a person driving on a road a motor vehicle (other than an invalid carriage), or

(b) a person whom a constable has reasonable cause to believe to have been the driver of a motor vehicle (other than an invalid carriage) at a time when an accident occurred owing to its presence on a road, or

(c) a person whom a constable has reasonable cause to believe to have committed an offence in relation to the use on a road of a motor vehicle (other than an invalid carriage),

shall, on being so required by a constable, give his name and address and the name and address of the owner of the vehicle and produce for examination—

(i) the relevant certificate of insurance or certificate of security within the meaning of Part VI of this Act, or such other evidence that the vehicle is not or was not being driven in contravention of section 143 thereof as may be prescribed by regulations made by the Secretary of State,

(ii) in relation to a vehicle to which section 44 of this Act applies, a test certificate issued in respect thereof as mentioned in subsection (1) of that section, and

(iii) in relation to a goods vehicle the use of which on a road without a plating certificate, goods vehicle test certificate or one or more certificates in force under section 47-of this Act is an offence under section 46(1) or (2) or 51(1) of this Act, any such certificate issued in respect of that vehicle or any trailer drawn by it,

and if he fails to do so he shall, subject to subsection (2) below, be guilty of an offence.

(2) A person shall not be convicted of an offence under subsection (1) above by reason only of failure to produce any certificate or other evidence to a constable if, within five days after the date on which the production of the certificate or other evidence was required, it is produced at such police station as may have been specified by him at the time when its production was required.

(3) A person who supervises the holder of a provisional licence granted under Part III of this Act while the holder is driving on a road a motor vehicle (other than an invalid carriage) or whom a constable has reasonable cause to believe was supervising the holder of such a licence while driving at a time when an accident occurred owing to the presence of the vehicle on a road or at a time when an offence is suspected of having been committed by the said holder in relation to the use of the vehicle on a road shall, on being so required by a constable, give his name and address and the name and address of the owner of the vehicle, and if he fails to do so he shall be guilty of an offence.

(4) In this section " owner ", in relation to a vehicle which is the subject of a hiring agreement, includes each party to the agreement.

163 Powers of certifying officers and examiners as respects goods vehicles

A certifying officer appointed under Part III of the [1960 c. 16.] Road Traffic Act 1960 or an examiner appointed under section 56 of this Act may at any time, on production if so required of his authority, exercise in the case of goods vehicles all such powers as are, under section 161(1) or 162 of this Act, exercisable by a constable.

164 Penalisation of failure to give name and address, and power of arrest, in case of dangerous or careless driving or cycling, etc.

(1) Any such person as the following, namely—

(a) the driver of a motor vehicle who is alleged to have committed an offence against section 2 or 3 of this Act, or

(b) the rider of a cycle who is alleged to have committed an offence against section 17 or 18 of this Act,

who refuses, on being so required by any person having reasonable ground for so requiring, to give his name or address, or gives a false name or address, shall be guilty of an offence.

(2) A constable may—

(a) arrest without warrant the driver of a motor vehicle who within his view commits an offence against section 2 or 3 of this Act unless the driver either gives his name and address or produces for examination his licence to drive a motor vehicle granted under Part III of this Act;

(b) arrest without warrant the rider of a cycle who within his view commits an offence against section 17 or 18 of this Act unless the rider gives his name and address.

165 Pedestrian contravening constable's direction to stop to give name and address

A constable may require a person committing an offence against section 23 of this Act to give his name and address, and if that person fails to do so he shall be guilty of an offence.

166 Duty of driver, in case of accident involving injury to another, to produce evidence of insurance or security or to report accident

(1) If in a case where, owing to the presence on a road of a motor vehicle (other than an invalid carriage) an accident occurs involving personal injury to another person, the driver of the vehicle does not at the time produce to a constable or some person who, having reasonable grounds for so doing, has required its production, such a certificate of insurance or security, or other evidence, as is mentioned in paragraph (i) of section 162(1) of this Act, the driver shall as soon as possible, and in any case within twenty-four hours of the occurrence of the accident, report the accident at a police station or to a constable and thereupon produce such a certificate or other evidence as aforesaid, and if he fails to do so he shall, subject to subsection (2) below, be guilty of an offence.

(2) A person shall not be convicted of an offence under subsection (1) above by reason only of a failure to produce a certificate or other evidence if, within five days after the occurrence of the accident, he produces the same in person at such police station as may be specified by him at the time when the accident was reported.

167 Duty of owner of motor vehicle to give information for verifying compliance with requirement of compulsory insurance or security

(1) It shall be the duty of the owner of a motor vehicle to give such information as he may be required by or on behalf of a chief officer of police to give for the purpose of determining whether the vehicle was or was not being driven in contravention of section 143 of this Act on any occasion when the driver was required under section 162(1) or 166 of this Act to produce such a certificate of insurance or security, or other evidence, as is mentioned in paragraph (i) of the said section 162(1); and a person who fails to comply with the requirement of this subsection shall be guilty of an offence.

(2) In this section " owner ", in relation to a vehicle which is the subject of a hiring agreement, includes each party to the agreement.

168 Duty to give information as to identity of driver, etc. in certain cases

(1) This section applies—

(a) to any offence under the foregoing provisions of this Act and to an offence under section 175 of this Act except an offence under Part V thereof or under section 15, 32, 45(7), 50(5), 53(4), 55(5), 56(3), 91 or 119, and

(b) to offences against any other enactment relating to the use of vehicles on roads.

(2) Where the driver of a vehicle is alleged to be guilty of an offence to which this section applies—

(a) the person keeping the vehicle shall give such information as to the identity of the driver as he may be required to give by or on behalf of a chief officer of police, and

(b) any other person shall if required as aforesaid give any information which it is in his power to give and may lead to the identification of the driver.

In this subsection references to the driver of a vehicle include references to the person riding a cycle, not being a motor vehicle.

(3) A person who fails to comply with the requirement of subsection (2)(a) above shall be guilty of an offence unless he shows to the satisfaction of the court that he did not know and could not with reasonable diligence have ascertained who the driver of the vehicle, or, as the case may be, the rider of the cycle, was; and a person who fails to comply with the requirement of subsection (2)(b) above shall be guilty of an offence.