2003 No. 64
ROAD TRAFFIC AND VEHICLES
Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003
Made 11th February 2003
Coming into operation 1st April 2003

The Department of the Environment, in exercise of the powers conferred on it by Articles 5(3) and (6), 9(2), 19C and 218(1) of the Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 1981, and of every other power enabling it in that behalf, hereby makes the following Regulations:
S.I.1981/154 (N.I. 1); see Article 2(2) for the definition of “Department” and “prescribed”; Articles 5, 9 and 19C were substituted by Schedule 1 to S.I.1991/197 (N.I. 3) and amended by S.R. 1996 No. 426, Schedule 1; Articles 5(3) and 19C were amended by S.I.1996/1320 (N.I. 10) Schedule 3

1 Citation, commencement and interpretation
1 These Regulations may be cited as the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 and shall come into operation on 1st April 2003.
2 In these Regulations “the principal Regulations” means the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996.
S.R. 1996 No. 542; relevant amending regulations are S.R. 1997 No. 383, S.R. 1998 No. 379, S.R. 1998 No. 415, S.R. 1999 No. 358, S.R. 2000 No. 115 and S.R. 2001 No. 267

2 Amendment to regulation 31 (exemption from theory test)
In regulation 31 of the principal Regulations sub-paragraphs 1(d) and 2(a) and (d) shall be deleted.

3 Amendment to regulation 32 (entitlement upon passing a test other than an appropriate driving test)
1 Regulation 32 of the principal Regulations shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) to (4).
2 In paragraph (3), for the words “in column (2)” there shall be substituted “in column (3)”.
3 At the beginning of paragraph (3) there shall be inserted “Subject to paragraph (4),”.
4 After paragraph (3) there shall be inserted –

“4 In relation to the first item of Schedule 1 (category A), the effect of paragraph (3) shall be that a licence authorising the driving of vehicles in category A shall in addition authorise the driving of vehicles in category B1 if, and only if, the test, or as the case may be the practical test, is passed before 1st April 2003.”

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4 Amendment to regulation 50 (disabilities prescribed in respect of Group 1 licences)
In regulation 50 of the principal Regulations, for paragraph (1) there shall be substituted –

“1 There is prescribed for the purposes of Article 9(2) of the Order as a relevant disability in relation to an applicant for, or a person who holds, a Group 1 licence, the inability to read in good light (with the aid of glasses or contact lenses if worn) a registration mark fixed to a motor vehicle in accordance with paragraphs (a) and (b) –
(a) Where the registration mark contains letters and figures 79 millimetres high and 57 millimetres wide, the test shall be conducted at a distance of –
(i) 12.3 metres, in the case of an application for a licence authorising only the driving of motor vehicles of a class included in category K;
(ii) 20.5 metres, in any other case.
(b) Where the registration mark contains letters and figures 79 millimetres high and 50 millimetres wide, the tests shall be conducted at a distance of –
(i) 12 metres, in the case of an application for a licence authorising only the driving of motor vehicles of a class included in category K;
(ii) 20 metres, in any other case.”

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5 Amendment to regulation 51 (disabilities prescribed in respect of Group 2 licences)
In regulation 51 of the principal Regulations, for paragraph (1) there shall be substituted –

“1 There is prescribed for the purposes of Article 9(2) of the Order as a relevant disability in relation to an applicant for, or a person who holds, a Group 2 licence, the inability to read in good light (with the aid of corrective lenses if necessary) a registration mark fixed to a motor vehicle –
(a) at a distance of 20.5 metres, in the case of a registration mark containing letters and figures 79 millimetres high and 57 millimetres wide; and
(b) at a distance of 20 metres, in the case of a registration mark containing letters and figures 79 millimetres high and 50 millimetres wide.”

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6 Amendments to Schedule 7 (specified requirements for practical or unitary test)
1 Schedule 7 of the principal Regulations shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3).
2 In Part 1 and Part 2, for paragraph A there shall be substituted –

“1 A. Eyesight
Read in good daylight (with the aid of corrective lenses if worn) a registration mark fixed to a motor vehicle –
(a) in the case of a registration mark containing letters and figures 79 millimetres high and 57 millimetres wide, at a distance of 20.5 metres; and
(b) in the case of a registration mark containing letters and figures 79 millimetres high and 50 millimetres wide, at a distance of 20 metres.”

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3 For paragraph 1 of Part 5 there shall be substituted the following paragraph –

“1 Read in good daylight (with the aid of corrective lenses if worn) a registration mark fixed to a motor vehicle in accordance with paragraphs (a) and (b).
(a) Where the registration mark contains letters and figures 79 millimetres high and 57 millimetres wide, the test shall be conducted at a distance of –
(i) in the case of a unitary test conducted in respect of a vehicle included in category K, 12.3 metres;
(ii) in any other case, 20.5 metres.
(b) Where the registration mark contains letters and figures 79 millimetres high and 50 millimetres wide, the tests shall be conducted at a distance of –
(i) in the case of a unitary test conducted in respect of a vehicle included in category K, 12 metres;
(ii) in any other case, 20 metres.”

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Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of the Environment on 11th February 2003.
Stanley Duncan A senior officer of the Department of the Environment

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)
These Regulations amend the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996 (“the principal Regulations”).
Regulation 2 amends regulation 31 of the principal Regulations by –
(a) removing the exemption for category B licence holders from the requirement to pass a theory test if they apply for a licence for category A vehicles.
(b) removing the exemption for full category P licence holders from the requirement to pass a theory test if they apply for a licence for category B vehicles.
(c) removing the exemption for full category A licence holders from the requirement to pass a theory test if they apply for a licence for category B vehicles.
Regulation 3 removes the automatic entitlement for a holder of a category A licence to drive a category B1 vehicle and corrects a drafting error.
Regulations 4, 5 and 6 amend the principal Regulations by –
(a) correcting an inaccuracy regarding the height of figures and letters on registration plates in relation to the eyesight test, and
(b) providing for a shortened distance for the eyesight test where the registration plate has the new reduced character width.