Note. This Act and the regulations made under it form part of the road transport legislation identified by section 5. Other road transport legislation includes the Road Transport (Driver Licensing) Act 1998, the Road Transport (Heavy Vehicles Registration Charges) Act 1995, the Road Transport (Safety and Traffic Management) Act 1999, the Road Transport (Vehicle Registration) Act 1997 and the regulations made under those Acts. As part of the road transport legislation, this Act is subject to various provisions in this Act concerning the administration and enforcement of the road transport legislation generally.
This Act is the Road Transport (General) Act 1999.
This Act commences on a day or days to be appointed by proclamation.
(cf Traffic Act, s 2)
(1) In this Act:Australian driver licence has the same meaning as it has in the Road Transport (Driver Licensing) Act 1998.
authorised officer means:
(a) a police officer, or(b) a person who is appointed for the time being by the Authority as an authorised officer for the purposes of the provision in which the expression is used, or(c) a person (or a person belonging to a class or description of persons) prescribed by the regulations.Authority means the Roads and Traffic Authority.
drive includes the following:
(a) be in control of the steering, movement or propulsion of a vehicle,(b) in relation to a trailer, draw or tow the trailer,(c) ride a vehicle.driver means any person driving a vehicle, and includes any person riding a cycle.
driver licence has the same meaning as it has in the Road Transport (Driver Licensing) Act 1998.
exercise a function includes perform a duty.
function includes a power, authority or duty.
home address of a person means the person’s current place of abode.
horse includes any animal used for the carriage of persons or goods.
learner licence has the same meaning as it has in the Road Transport (Driver Licensing) Act 1998.
light rail vehicle has the same meaning as it has in the Road Transport (Safety and Traffic Management) Act 1999.
major offence means:
(a) a crime or offence referred to in the definition of convicted person in section 25 (1), or(b) any other crime or offence that, at the time it was committed, was a major offence under this Act or the Traffic Act 1909.motor vehicle means a vehicle that is built to be propelled by a motor that forms part of the vehicle.
penalty notice means a penalty notice issued under Division 1 of Part 3.
prescribed speeding offence means an offence under the Road Transport (Safety and Traffic Management) Act 1999 (or regulations made under that Act) involving the use of a vehicle on a road or road related area at an excessive speed, being an offence that is prescribed by the regulations.
registered, in relation to a vehicle, means registered under the Road Transport (Vehicle Registration) Act 1997.
registered operator has the same meaning as it has in the Road Transport (Vehicle Registration) Act 1997.
registrable vehicle has the same meaning as it has in the Road Transport (Vehicle Registration) Act 1997.
responsible person for a vehicle—see section 7.
rider of an animal includes a person having charge of the animal.
road means an area that is open to or used by the public and is developed for, or has as one of its main uses, the driving or riding of motor vehicles.
road related area means:
(a) an area that divides a road, or(b) a footpath or nature strip adjacent to a road, or(c) an area that is open to the public and is designated for use by cyclists or animals, or(d) an area that is not a road and that is open to or used by the public for driving, riding or parking vehicles, or(e) a shoulder of a road, or(f) any other area that is open to or used by the public and that has been declared under section 9 to be an area to which specified provisions of this Act or the regulations apply.road transport legislation—see section 5.
trader’s plate has the same meaning as it has in the Road Transport (Vehicle Registration) Act 1997.
traffic includes vehicular traffic and pedestrian traffic.
trailer means a vehicle that is built to be towed, or is towed, by a motor vehicle, but does not include a motor vehicle that is being towed.
use of a vehicle includes standing the vehicle on a road or road related area.
vehicle means:
(a) any description of vehicle on wheels (including a light rail vehicle) but not including any other vehicle used on a railway or tramway, or(b) any other vehicle prescribed by the regulations.(2) A reference in a provision of this Act relating to the road transport legislation (other than this Act or the regulations) to an expression that is defined in the legislation includes, for the purposes of the application of the provision to the legislation, the expression as defined in the legislation.
Notes included in this Act are explanatory notes and do not form part of this Act.Note. For the purposes of comparison, a number of provisions of this Act contain bracketed notes in headings drawing attention (“cf”) to equivalent or comparable (though not necessarily identical) provisions of other Acts. For instance, the abbreviation “Traffic Act” in the notes is a reference to the Traffic Act 1909 (as in force immediately before its repeal).