Traffic signs and signals
Page 45
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by Les Oldridge TENG(CEI), MIMI, AMIRT OVER the past few weeks we have been considering the law concerning dangerous and.careless driving — but not all cases of bad driving come within the scope of these particular sections of the Road Traffic Act. 'Failing to comply with the indication given by a traffic sign or with a police officer's signal, for example, are dealt with by Section 22 of the Road Traffic Act, 1972. Although a driver who does not obey a traffic sign may well be driving dangerously or carelessly, it is unlikely that he will be charged with either of these offences but rather with the offence against Section 22.
This section lays down that where a traffic sign has been lawfully erected it is an offence not to comply with it and where a constable is engaged in regulation of traffic it is an offence for a person driving or propelling a vehicle to neglect or refuse to stop the vehicle or make it proceed in, or keep to, a particular line of traffic when directed to do so by the constable in the execution of his duty. There is a maximum penalty of a £50 fine, the offender may be disqualified from driving and his licence must be endorsed unless there are special reasons for not doing so.
Light signals
This section is not limited to mechanically propelled vehicles — pedal cycles and horse-drawn vehicles, and hand carts as far as that goes, must all comply. The traffic signs which must be obeyed include, as well as traffic lights, "Stop" and "Give Way" at major road signs, arrows indicating the direction to be followed and double-white lines painted on the roadway.
The design of traffic signs is dealt with by the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 1964. "Light Signals for Vehicular Traffic" for example is the subject of paragraph 31 of these regulations. All the various traffic signs are described and illustrated and those used must meet the specifications laid down in the regulations. If a sign does not conform to all the requirements then disobeying it may not be an offence.
Regulation 34 describes the significance of light signals and states that the red signal means that vehicular traffic must not proceed beyond the carriageway stop line provided in conjunction with the signals or, if that line is not visible or there is no stop line, beyond the signals.
The case of Ryan v Smith (1967) 2QB 893, takes this much further for in this case it was held that if a vehicle is partly over the stop line when the light turns to red it is an offence to drive it further forward while the light remains at red. It was further decided in this case that Regulation 34 prohibiting a vehicle passing a red signal relates to any vehicle or any part of any vehicle.
Common sense
Obviously, it is necessary to take a commonsense view of this ruling. There would be serious obstruction to traffic if, for example, every artic baulked by other traffic on narrow cross-roads controlled by traffic signals, refused to pull over the crossing when the traffic cleared because the last few feet of his trailer was still not past the red light.