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such offences, while others do it out of ignorance. However, it is common knowledge that at law ignorance is no defence. This article is meant to familiarise road users with these common traffic offences.
Vehicle Registration and Licensing
It is an offence to fail to register a vehicle on time. Failure to display a registration mark and number is an offence as well as having an illegible registration mark unless it is a temporary cause.
Change of vehicle ownership must be done within 14 days while change of permanent residential address must be registered within 14 days.
If a driver fails to produce documents (e.g. Registration Book) to an authorised police officer within seven days of request, he/she commits an offence.
Some drivers fail to display and maintain licence in a prescribed manner. It is an offence to fail to display a current vehicle licence or temporary licence.
It is also illegal to use vehicle licence issued to another vehicle.
Individuals who make unauthorised entries or alterations to a Registration Book commit an offence. There are laws governing use of garage plates which some garages flout on a daily basis.
Driver’s Licence Offences
It is a serious offence to drive without a driver’s licence. One must obtain a provisional driver’s licence first.
However, it is an offence for a provisional driver to drive without any supervision. It is also illegal to drive using a provisional driver’s licence without displaying “L” plates or using “L” plates of an incorrect size or colour.
The correct size is 150mm square – “L” should be 100mm x 90mm with 40mm width. A licensed driver who fails to remove “L” plates without a learner will be committing an offence.
It is an offence to permit an unlicensed driver to drive – a sizeable number of parents are guilty on this one.
A driver is required by law to produce a driver’s licence for endorsement within seven days after conviction, if instructed to do so.
Public service vehicle drivers must have their licences endorsed medically fit before they drive a Public Service Vehicle (PSV).
It is also a common offence for one to give false information when applying for a driver’s licence.
Signs, Signals and Carriage Markings Offences
Each and every day there is now a common feature of hundreds of drivers who unlawfully turn right from a straight ahead lane.
This is one of the causes of congestion in cities. Notorious drivers do so at the intersection of Rekayi Tangwena Avenue and Samora Machel Avenue in Harare.
Section 48 of Statutory Instrument 573 of 1973 prohibits drivers from proceeding against a red robot or even an amber robot.
It is an offence to enter an intersection when exit is not clear.
Drivers who remain in intersections long after the light has turned red must be apprehended to ease congestion in cities.
It is a common offence to encroach over a white line at the robot. A large number of drivers fail to obey “No Stopping” signs, “Weight Prohibition” sign, “ Overtaking Prohibited” sign, “Compulsory Direction”s sign, “No Left Turn” sign, “No Right Turn” sign and some even disobey clear right turn and left turn arrows.
Offside wheels and nearside wheels must never cross prohibition lines. Drivers are not allowed to overtake across prohibition lines.
It is also an offence to cross or straddle the yellow edge of the carriageway line except to stop or overtake traffic turning to the right.
Some notorious drivers travel to and from work using the yellow lane.
They are the major cause of congestion as they weave in and out of the normal stream of traffic. In simple terms, drivers must practise “good lane discipline”.
Conclusion
A provisional driver or licensed driver must familiarise themselves with the Road Traffic Act and all regulations governing road use in Zimbabwe.
Violation of traffic rules and regulations attracts either a fine or imprisonment and at times both such fine and imprisonment.
Besides being illegal some driving habits cause congestion and cause preventable accidents. Our next article will look at “Moving Offences.”
The writer, Ernest Muchena, is Traffic Safety’ Council of Zimbabwe’s Product Development and Marketing Manager who is contactable on [email protected] or [email protected]
Online Reporter