Traffic amd Road Road Safety (Reflectors) Regulatons, 2012

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Date of promulgation: 

16 March 2012

STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS

SUPPLEMENT No. 8                                                                                  16th March, 2012

STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS SUPPLEMENT

to The Uganda Gazette No. 15 Volume CIV dated 16th March, 2012 Printed by UPPC, Entebbe, by Order of the Government.

STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS

2012 No. 11.

THE TRAFFIC AND ROAD SAFETY (REFLECTORS) REGULATIONS, 2012. ARRANGEMENT OF REGULATIONS

Regulation.

  1. Title.
  2. Interpretation.
  3. Vehicles to be fitted with reflectors.
  4. Requirements for reflectors.
  5. Reflectors for goods vehicles whose gross tonnage exceeds three thousand five hundred kilograms.
  6. Side and rear reflective material to be fitted to vehicles.
  7. Emergency warning signs.
  8. Bicycles to be fitted with reflectors.
  9. Riding a bicycle during hours of darkness.

10. Offences and penalties.

STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS 2012 No. 11. The Traffic and Road Safety (Reflectors) Regulations, 2012.

(Under sections 131 and 178 of the Traffic and Road Safety Act, Cap 361)

In exercise of the powers conferred upon the Minister responsible for

transport by sections 131 and 178 of the Traffic and Road Safety Act,

Cap 361 these Regulations are made this 13th day of February, 2012.

  1. Title.

These Regulations maybe cited as the Traffic and Road Safety

(Reflectors) Regulations, 2012.

  1. Interpretation.

In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires—

“hours of darkness” means the hours between 6:00p.m and 6:00a.m;

“mudguard” means a fitting or a device which is constructed and fitted to catch or deflect any stones, mud, water or other substance thrown up by the rotation of the wheel;

“omnibus” means a vehicle constructed or used for transporting passengers and is equipped to seat eight or more adults excluding the drivers;

“prime mover” means a motor tractive unit used for hauling a semi trailer;

“trailer” means a vehicle which is drawn or propelled by another vehicle but excludes—

  1. an integral sidecar, an integral fore car or an integral trailer attached to a vehicle which is regarded as forming part of the vehicle to which it is attached;
  2. an engineering plant; and
  3. an agricultural implement not constructed or adapted for transporting goods or burdens of any description when drawn by a farmer’s power-driven vehicle;

“reflector” means a retro reflector which has no light source of its own and reflects light back to its source;

“side car” means a car, box or other receptacle attached to the side of a motor cycle and which is provided with a third wheel for support;

“side marker lamp” means a lamp capable of displaying light through an angle of one hundred and eighty degrees from the front to the rear of the vehicle when fitted to the side of a vehicle;

“vehicle” means a machine or implement drawn or propelled along a road by an animal, mechanical, electrical or any other power.

  1. Vehicles to be fitted with reflectors
  1. A vehicle, other than a motor cycle without a side-car or a motor tricycle, shall be fitted with a reflector on each side of the rear of the vehicle at the same height as the longitudinal centre-line of the vehicle and equidistant from each side of the vehicle in compliance with these Regulations.
  2. A combination of both a drawing vehicle and a rearmost vehicle shall be fitted with a reflector as described in sub regulation (1).
  3. A reflector referred to in sub regulation (1) shall be placed in a way that the portion of the reflective surface of the reflector furthest from the longitudinal centre-line of the vehicle is not further than four hundred millimetres from the outer edge of the widest part of the vehicle.
  4. A motor cycle without a side-car shall be fitted with a reflector at the rear side of that motor cycle, in compliance with these

Regulations.

  1. Requirements for reflectors
  1. A reflector that is fitted to a vehicle under these Regulations shall be at least three hundred millimeters high but not higher than one and a half meters from ground level to the centre of the reflector.
  2. A reflector shall be fitted as near as possible to the prescribed position in these Regulations, where due to the design of the vehicle, it is impossible to fit a reflector in the prescribed position.
  3. A reflector that is to be fitted to a vehicle under these Regulations shall—
  1. be clean, in good condition and effective,
  2. be fitted to an immovable part of the vehicle,
  3. not be obscured in anyway,
  4. if it is a—
  1. white reflector, be fitted in a vertical position and face squarely

to the front;

  1. red reflector, be fitted in a vertical position and face squarely to the back; and
  2. yellow reflector, be fitted in a vertical position and face squarely to the side,
  1. Notwithstanding sub regulation (3) (d), a vehicle imported by a registered importer may have a red reflector fitted at the side towards the rear of the vehicle.
  1. Reflectors for goods vehicles whose gross tonnage exceeds three thousand five hundred kilograms.
  1. A goods vehicle whose gross tonnage exceeds three thousand five hundred kilograms shall be fitted with a warning sign at the rear of

the vehicle, which—

  1. is a chevron sign that complies with the requirements referred to in standard specification US 533 “Retro-reflective warning signs for road vehicles — Chevron signs”;
  2. bears a certification mark; and
  3. notwithstanding sub regulation (1) (a), incorporates both reflective red and reflective yellow chevron strips.
  1. Where the design of a vehicle does not allow a chevron to be fitted to the vehicle—
  1. the chevron shall be cut into sections to avoid the interference of protrusions; or
  2. the edges of the chevron shall be trimmed to permit fitment to the contour of the vehicle or the equipment of the vehicle,

but the chevron pattern shall be substantially maintained.

  1. A warning sign to be displayed on a vehicle or on a trailer referred to in sub regulation (1), shall—
  1. be in an upright position or within fifteen degrees of that position and face squarely to the rear;
  2. be placed in a way that the lower edge of the warning sign is not more than one metre above ground level;
  3. be fitted as near as possible to a height according to the structure of the vehicle were it is impossible to fit the warning sign at the prescribed height;
  4. extend horizontally for a distance that is necessary to indicate the overall width of the vehicle to which it is fitted to within four hundred millimetres of either side; and

  1. be clean, in good condition and not obscured.
  1. Side and rear reflective material to be fitted to vehicles
  1. A vehicle shall be fitted with side and rear reflective material that indicates the width, height, load and equipment of a vehicle, either from the front or from the rear of the vehicle.
  2. Notwithstanding sub regulation (1), a medium and heavy commercial vehicle shall, in addition to side and reflective material, be fitted with clearance and side marker lamps which when lit indicate the width, height, load and equipment of the vehicle, from the front or from the rear of the vehicle.
  1. Emergency warning signs
  1. A vehicle except a motorcycle shall carry on board at least two warning signs which—
  1. are double-sided signs with a shape, design, minimum

dimensions and colours described as follows—

  1. the shape shall be a triangle;
  2. each side of the triangle shall be at least thirty centimetres;
  3. the signs shall be made of reflective material; and
  4. the signs shall be painted red and have reflectors at each corner.
  1. In case of a combination of vehicles, the emergency warning signs for every vehicle of that combination shall be carried on the drawing vehicle.
  2. In case of a combination of three vehicles, at least two emergency warning signs shall be carried on the vehicle.
  3. A driver of a vehicle that is stationary on the roadway of a public road shall display an emergency warning sign in the manner

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described in sub regulation (6).

  1. A person shall not remove or tamper with an emergency warning sign which is being displayed without lawful cause in accordance with this regulation.
  2. An emergency warning sign shall be displayed as follows—
  1. the sign shall be placed at least forty five metres from the vehicle along the road concerned in the direction from which traffic will approach the vehicle when travelling on the side of the roadway closest to the vehicle;
  2. the sign shall be placed as far from the edge of the roadway as the transverse centre of the vehicle is from the edge of the roadway; and
  3. the reflective side of the sign shall face the direction from which traffic will approach the vehicle.
  1. Sub regulation (5) shall not apply where a vehicle is stationary—
  1. in a place where a road traffic sign authorises the loading or unloading of a vehicle;
  2. in compliance with a direction conveyed by a road traffic sign or given by a traffic officer;
  3. on account of other traffic on the public road concerned and while the driver occupies the driving seat of the vehicle; or
  4. in the course of events accompanying the carrying out of a state, city, municipal or town council function.
  1. Bicycles to be fitted with reflectors

A bicycle shall be fitted with a reflective red and white chevron facing backwards and securely fixed to the rear mudguard extending upwards from the near lower edge of the bicycle at a distance of at least twenty

centimetres.

  1. Riding a bicycle during hours of darkness.
  1. When riding a bicycle during the hours of darkness, a bicycle shall have—
  1. a lit lamp, fitted to the bicycle showing a bright white light to the front; and
  2. a lit lamp showing a clear red light to the rear, and a reflector, both fitted to the bicycle as described in these Regulations.
  1. Subject to sub regulation (5), the rear lamp and the reflector of a bicycle shall be fitted on—
  1. the rear stay on the right hand side;
  2. the rear mudguard; or
  3. the right hand side of the rear axle.
  1. The rear lamp or reflector shall not be fitted in a position that is higher than the rim of the wheel of the bicycle where it passes between the stays.
  2. The rear lamp or reflector shall be fitted so that no part of the bicycle projects more than fifty centimetres to the rear of the bicycle.
  3. The reflector shall—
  1. have a diameter of at least thirty millimetres and, if not circular, be of such a size that a circle of thirty millimetres in diameter might be described upon its surface;
  2. be such that, at any time during the hours of darkness when light from a headlamp placed at a distance of ninety metres, is projected directly on to the reflector, the reflector gives a red reflection that is clearly visible to the driver of the vehicle to which the headlamp is fitted;
  3. be in a clean condition and not obscured.
  1. Offences and penalties
  1. Any person who contravenes regulations 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding twenty five currency points or imprisonment not exceeding one year or both.
  2. A person who contravenes regulation 9 commits an offence is liable on conviction to fine not exceeding two currency points or imprisonment not exceeding one month or both.

ABRAHAM JAMES BYANDALA, Minister of Works and Transport.