Road Traffic Act 1960

Production of Documents and Furnishing of Information

225 Power of police constables to require production of driving licences

(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 police 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 police 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 accompanies the holder of a provisional licence granted under section one hundred and two of this Act while the holder is driving a motor vehicle on a road or whom a police constable has reasonable cause to believe to have accompanied 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 police constable, produce for examination his licence to drive a motor vehicle granted under Part II 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.

(2) Where a licence to drive a motor vehicle granted under Part II of this Act has been revoked by a licensing authority under subsection (6) of section one hundred thereof then if the holder of the licence fails to deliver it to that authority for cancellation as required by that subsection a police constable may require him to produce it, and upon its being produced may seize it and deliver it for cancellation to the licensing authority who revoked it.

(3) Where a police constable has reasonable cause to believe that the person to whom a licence to drive a motor vehicle has been granted under Part II 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 to a police constable fails to do so he shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding five pounds:

Provided that 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.

226 Power of police 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);

(b) a person whom a police 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 police 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 police 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 two hundred and one thereof as may be prescribed by regulations made by the Minister, and

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

and if he fails to do so he shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding twenty pounds, or in the case of a second or subsequent conviction to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months:

Provided that a person shall not be convicted of an offence under this subsection 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, he produces the same in person at such police station as may have been specified by him at the time when its production was required.

(2) A person who accompanies the holder of a provisional licence granted under section one hundred and two of this Act while the holder is driving on a road a motor vehicle (other than an invalid carriage) or whom a police constable has reasonable cause to believe to have accompanied 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 police 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 liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding twenty pounds, or in the case of a second or subsequent conviction to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months.

(3) Where a person convicted of an offence under either of the two foregoing subsections has been previously convicted of an offence under the other of them, he shall be treated for the purposes of the subsection under which he is convicted as having been previously convicted thereunder.

227 Powers of certifying officers, examiners and police constables as respects goods vehicles

(1) A certifying officer appointed under Part III of this Act or an examiner appointed under Part IV thereof may at any time, on production if so required of his authority, require the person in charge of any goods vehicle (within the meaning of the said Part IV) to produce, and permit him to inspect and copy, any document which by or by regulations made under the said Part IV is required to be carried on, or by the driver of, the vehicle, and for that purpose may detain the vehicle for such time as is required for the inspection and copying; and if a person, when required by such a certifying officer or examiner as aforesaid so to do, fails to produce to the officer or examiner any such document as aforesaid, or to permit him to inspect or copy any such document, that person shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding twenty pounds, or in the case of a second or subsequent conviction to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds.

(2) The provisions of the foregoing subsection shall apply in relation to a police constable as they apply in relation to an examiner, except that it shall not be necessary for a police constable wearing uniform to produce any authority.

(3) A certifying officer appointed under Part III of this Act or an examiner appointed under Part IV thereof may at any time, on production if so required of his authority, exercise in the case of goods vehicles (within the meaning of the said Part IV) all such powers as are, under subsection (1) of section two hundred and twenty-five of this Act or under the last foregoing section, exercisable by a police constable.

228 Penalisation of failure to give name and address, and power of arrest, in case of reckless or careless driving or cycling

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

(a) the driver of a motor vehicle who is alleged to have committed an offence against subsection (1) of section two of this Act or subsection (1) of section three thereof; or

(b) the rider of a bicycle or tricycle who is alleged to have committed an offence against section nine of this Act or subsection (1) of section ten thereof;

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 liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding twenty pounds, or in the case of a second or subsequent conviction to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months.

(2) A police constable may—

(a) arrest without warrant the driver of a motor vehicle who within his view commits an offence against subsection (1) of section two of this Act or subsection (1) of section three thereof unless the driver either gives his name and address or produces for examination his licence to drive a motor vehicle granted under Part II of this Act;

(b) arrest without warrant the rider of a bicycle or tricycle who within his view commits an offence against section nine of this Act or subsection (1) of section ten thereof unless the rider gives his name and address.

229 Pedestrians to give names and addresses in certain cases

A constable may require a person committing an offence against section fifteen of this Act to give his name and address, and if that person fails to do so he shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding five pounds.

230 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 police 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 subsection (1) of section two hundred and twenty-six 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 police constable and thereupon produce such a certificate or other evidence as aforesaid, and if he fails to do so he shall (subject to the following subsection) be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding twenty pounds, or in the case of a second or subsequent conviction to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months.

(2) A person shall not be convicted of an offence under the foregoing subsection 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.

231 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 two hundred and one of this Act on any occasion when the driver was required under subsection (1) of section two hundred and twenty-six of this Act or the last foregoing section to produce such a certificate of insurance or security, or other evidence, as is mentioned in paragraph (i) of the said subsection (1).

(2) A person who fails to comply with the requirement of the foregoing subsection shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding twenty pounds, or in the case of a second or subsequent conviction to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months.

232 Duty to give information as to identity of driver, and c, in certain cases

(1) This section applies—

(a) to any offence under Part I, II or III of this Act, except an offence against subsection (5) of section forty-one, subsection (4) of section sixty-seven or subsection (9) of section eighty-one (in its application to England and Wales);

(b) to any offence under subsection (1) of section one hundred and sixty-four or subsection (5) of section one hundred and eighty-four of this Act;

(c) to any offence under Part V or VI of this Act or the foregoing provisions of this Part of this Act;

(d) to any offence under the Road Transport Lighting Act, 1957; and

(e) 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 owner of the vehicle shall give such information as to the identity of the driver as he may be required to give—

(i) by or on behalf of a chief officer of police, or

(ii) in the case of an offence against section eighty-eight of this Act, by or on behalf of a chief officer of police or, in writing, by or on behalf of the local authority for the parking place in question; 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 bicycle or tricycle (not being a motor vehicle).

(3) A person who fails to comply with the requirement of paragraph (a) of the last foregoing subsection 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 bicycle or tricycle, was, and a person who fails to comply with the requirement of paragraph (b) of that subsection shall be guilty of an offence; and a person guilty of an offence under this subsection shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding twenty pounds, or in the case of a second or subsequent conviction to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months.