Road Traffic Act 1934
Encyclopedia
The Road Traffic Act 1934 was Act
of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
introduced by the then Minister of Transport
Hore-Belisha
after the 1931 general election
which was won by the Conservative Party
by an absolute majority of the votes cast. The Act was made in a year in which there had been a record numbers of road casualties.
had reduced the restrictions and increased speed limits. Speed limits were again raised by the Motor Car Act 1903
which also introduced requirements for registration of vehicles and for driving licenses as well as new safety legislation. The Road Traffic Act 1930
had controversially removed all speed limits for motorcars in a year with record 7,305 road fatalitiesDepartment for Transport (2008), p. 106 table 2 since which the levels of fatalities had increased to 7,343 deaths and 231,603 injuries. Half the deaths were of pedestrians, and of these three-quarters occurred in built-up areas. Hore-Belisha
spoke of this as ‘mass murder’ and Belisha was nearly killed shortly after his appointment during a public-relations exercise to demonstrate how to use of the new ‘uncontrolled crossings’ which a car sped through the crossing without stopping. The Pedestrian's Association
had been set up in 1929 to advocate
on behalf of pedestrians with the Automobile Association
and Royal Automobile Club
resisting further legislation. The Salter Report
which had been commissioned by the government was published in 1993 and recommended changes to the funding of both road and rail transport.
, named after the Transport Minister, was introduced to clearly identify crossings. The 30mph speed limit in urban areas remains the most common speed limit (as of 2010).
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
introduced by the then Minister of Transport
Secretary of State for Transport
The Secretary of State for Transport is the member of the cabinet responsible for the British Department for Transport. The role has had a high turnover as new appointments are blamed for the failures of decades of their predecessors...
Hore-Belisha
Leslie Hore-Belisha, 1st Baron Hore-Belisha
Isaac Leslie Hore-Belisha, 1st Baron Hore-Belisha PC was a British Liberal, then National Liberal Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister. He later joined the Conservative Party...
after the 1931 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1931
The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the...
which was won by the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
by an absolute majority of the votes cast. The Act was made in a year in which there had been a record numbers of road casualties.
Context
The Locomotive Acts of the late 1800s had placed heavy restrictions of speeds of 'locomotives'. Under pressure from an emerging motor industry and growing enthusiasm for motor cars the Locomotives on Highways Act 1896Locomotives on Highways Act 1896
The Locomotives on Highways Act 1896 removed the strict rules and UK speed limits that were included in the earlier Locomotive Acts which had greatly restricted the adoption of motorised vehicles in the United Kingdom...
had reduced the restrictions and increased speed limits. Speed limits were again raised by the Motor Car Act 1903
Motor Car Act 1903
The Motor Car Act 1903 introduced registration of motor cars and licensing of drivers in the United Kingdom and increased the speed limit.-Context:...
which also introduced requirements for registration of vehicles and for driving licenses as well as new safety legislation. The Road Traffic Act 1930
Road Traffic Act 1930
The Road Traffic Act 1930 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom introduced by the then Minister of Transport Herbert Morrison following the 1929 election which resulted in a hung parliament in which the Labour party won the most seats for the first time and Ramsay MacDonald became...
had controversially removed all speed limits for motorcars in a year with record 7,305 road fatalitiesDepartment for Transport (2008), p. 106 table 2 since which the levels of fatalities had increased to 7,343 deaths and 231,603 injuries. Half the deaths were of pedestrians, and of these three-quarters occurred in built-up areas. Hore-Belisha
Leslie Hore-Belisha, 1st Baron Hore-Belisha
Isaac Leslie Hore-Belisha, 1st Baron Hore-Belisha PC was a British Liberal, then National Liberal Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister. He later joined the Conservative Party...
spoke of this as ‘mass murder’ and Belisha was nearly killed shortly after his appointment during a public-relations exercise to demonstrate how to use of the new ‘uncontrolled crossings’ which a car sped through the crossing without stopping. The Pedestrian's Association
Living Streets
Living Streets is an organisation which advocates for the rights and interests of pedestrians and aims to 'create safe, attractive and enjoyable streets, where people want to walk'...
had been set up in 1929 to advocate
Advocate
An advocate is a term for a professional lawyer used in several different legal systems. These include Scotland, South Africa, India, Scandinavian jurisdictions, Israel, and the British Crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man...
on behalf of pedestrians with the Automobile Association
The Automobile Association
The Automobile Association , a British motoring association founded in 1905 was demutualised in 1999 to become a private limited company which currently provides car insurance, driving lessons, breakdown cover, loans and motoring advice, and other services...
and Royal Automobile Club
Royal Automobile Club
The Royal Automobile Club is a private club and is not to be confused with RAC plc, a motorists' organisation, which it formerly owned.It has two club houses, one in London at 89-91 Pall Mall, and the other in the countryside at Woodcote Park, Surrey, next to the City of London Freemen's School...
resisting further legislation. The Salter Report
Salter Report
The Salter Report was named after Arthur Salter, who chaired an influential conference of road and rail experts in 1932. The report directed British government policy for transport funding for decades to follow.- Railways :...
which had been commissioned by the government was published in 1993 and recommended changes to the funding of both road and rail transport.
Clauses
The Act:- Reintroduced a speed limit for cars, of 30mph in built-up areas, reversing the removal of speed limits only 4 years earlier by the Road Traffic Act 1930Road Traffic Act 1930The Road Traffic Act 1930 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom introduced by the then Minister of Transport Herbert Morrison following the 1929 election which resulted in a hung parliament in which the Labour party won the most seats for the first time and Ramsay MacDonald became...
. - The UK driving testUnited Kingdom driving testThe United Kingdom driving test is a test which all United Kingdom learner drivers must pass to obtain a full driving licence. Different tests are available for users of different vehicles, from car drivers, to motorcyclists and HGV drivers. In Great Britain it is administered by the Driving...
was made compulsory for all new drivers. - Strengthened legislation relating to insurance for drivers.
Legacy
The Belisha beaconBelisha beacon
A Belisha beacon is an amber-coloured globe lamp atop a tall black and white pole, marking pedestrian crossings of roads in the United Kingdom, Ireland and in other countries historically influenced by Britain...
, named after the Transport Minister, was introduced to clearly identify crossings. The 30mph speed limit in urban areas remains the most common speed limit (as of 2010).
See also
- Locomotives on Highways Act 1896Locomotives on Highways Act 1896The Locomotives on Highways Act 1896 removed the strict rules and UK speed limits that were included in the earlier Locomotive Acts which had greatly restricted the adoption of motorised vehicles in the United Kingdom...
- Motor Car Act 1903Motor Car Act 1903The Motor Car Act 1903 introduced registration of motor cars and licensing of drivers in the United Kingdom and increased the speed limit.-Context:...
- Roads Act 1920Roads Act 1920The Roads Act 1920 was Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which established the Road Fund, introduced tax discs-Clauses:The Act:*Required councils to register all new vehicles and to allocate a separate number to each vehicle...
- Road Traffic Act 1930Road Traffic Act 1930The Road Traffic Act 1930 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom introduced by the then Minister of Transport Herbert Morrison following the 1929 election which resulted in a hung parliament in which the Labour party won the most seats for the first time and Ramsay MacDonald became...
- Road speed limits in the United KingdomRoad speed limits in the United KingdomRoad speed limits in the United Kingdom are used to define the maximum legal speed limit for road vehicles using public roads in the UK, and are one of the measures available to attempt to control traffic speeds. The speed limit in each location is indicated on a nearby traffic sign or by the...