S.I. No. 366/1999 - Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) (Amendment) Regulations, 1999.

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) (Amendment) Regulations, 1999.

2. These Regulations and the Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) Regulations, 1999 shall be construed together and may be cited collectively as the Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) Regulations, 1999.

3. The Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) Regulations, 1999 are hereby amended by the substitution of the following article for article 17:—

“17. (1) Subject to sub-article (2), a person granted a provisional licence for the first time on or after the commencement of these Regulations to drive vehicles in category A and who on obtaining a certificate of competency in that category is subsequently granted a driving licence in that category, shall, until a period of two years after the grant of the latter licence, be restricted to driving only those vehicles in the said category which have a power output not exceeding 25 kW or a power/weight ratio not exceeding 0.16kW/kg, or in the case of vehicles in the said category with sidecars, with a power/weight ratio not exceeding 0.16kW/kg.

(2) Sub-article (1) shall not apply to a person granted a provisional licence for the first time to drive vehicles in category A in the period commencing 15 November 1999 and ending on 17 December 1999 where the person either—

(

a

) holds a driving licence in respect of vehicles in Category A1 and held such a driving licence for a period of at least two years during the period of ten years preceeding the commencement day of such licence, or

(

b

) is, on such commencement day, 25 years of age or over.”.

Dated this 23rd day of November, 1999.

ROBERT MOLLOY,

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment and Local Government.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

(This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation.)

The Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) Regulations, 1999 established the general rule that first time provisional licence holders in Category A will be restricted to riding motorcycles not exceeding 25 kW engine power until 2 years after taking out a full licence in category A.

These Regulations provide for a limited exemption from this restriction for certain persons who take out a Category A provisional licence for the first time in the period from 15 November 1999 to 17 December 1999.

In exercise of the powers conferred on the Minister for the Environment and Local Government by

sections 5

,

23

(2),

31

,

33

,

34

,

35

,

38

(7) and

42

of the

Road Traffic Act, 1961

(No. 24 of 1961), which powers are delegated to me by the Environment and Local Government (Delegation of Ministerial Functions) Order, 1997, I, ROBERT MOLLOY, Minister of State at the Department of the Environment and Local Government hereby make the following Regulations:—