12 September 2018
The legislation necessary for Jersey to meet international standards for vehicle safety and roadworthiness will be presented to the States Assembly later this month.
This will allow the United Nations’ Vienna Convention on Motor Traffic to be extended to Jersey, which will ensure that Jersey motorists can continue driving their vehicles in the EU after Brexit. The UK has already taken action to protect the rights of its motorists and Guernsey is following suit.
The proposed law will:
- introduce tests to ensure that vehicles less than 40 years old meet minimum standards of roadworthiness
- introduce international driving permits to allow anyone holding a Jersey driving licence to drive legally in the EU
- introduce registration for commercial trailers weighing more than 0.75 tonnes, and domestic trailers weighing more than 3.5 tonnes, if they are driven on the Continent
- enforce the wearing of seatbelts in commercial vehicles
The Minister for Infrastructure, Deputy Kevin Lewis, said: “This legislation will allow Jersey motorists to continue to drive in the EU after Brexit, whether in their own vehicle or a hire car.
“While the preparation for Brexit has been the catalyst for its introduction, this legislation will also make Jersey safer and more environmentally-friendly. It is already illegal to drive defective vehicles in Jersey but this law will provide a structured system for checking all our vehicles, whether or not they are driven in the EU.”
The law will be reviewed by Scrutiny and presented to the States Assembly later this month, for debate in November.
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