Vienna Convention on Road Traffic

The Vienna Convention on Road Traffic is an international treaty designed to facilitate international road traffic and to increase road safety by standardising the uniform traffic rules among the contracting parties. This convention was agreed upon at the United Nations Economic and Social Council's Conference on Road Traffic (October 7, 1968 - November 8, 1968) and done in Vienna on 8 November 1968. It came into force on 21 May 1977. This conference also produced the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals.

Contents

Cross border vehicles

One of the main benefits of the convention for motorists is the obligation on signatory countries to recognise the legality of vehicles from other signatory countries. The following requirements must be met when driving outside the country of registration:

Mainland China is the most notable example of a non-signatory country. Short-term tourists are not allowed to bring cars into Mainland China at all. All foreign registered vehicles in mainland China must display a mainland Chinese vehicle registration plate. This requirement even applies to vehicles from China's special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau.

The convention also addresses minimum mechanical and safety equipment needed to be on board and defines an Identification mark (Annex 4) to identify the origin of the vehicle.

Contracting Parties

The Vienna Convention on Road Traffic was done at Vienna on 8 November 1968. Since its entry into force on 21 May 1977, in signatory countries ("Contracting Parties") it replaces previous road traffic Conventions, notably the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic, in accordance with Article 48 of the Convention.

Therefore, this list of Contracting Parties is no longer valid, and at least the US, Australia and New Zealand are not contracting parties to the 1968 agreement, meaning that the 1949 agreement still applies there.[1][2]

International conventions on transit transport

The broad objective of these International Conventions and Agreements, the Depositary of which is the Secretary-General of the United Nations, is to facilitate international transport while providing for a high level of safety, security and environmental protection in transport[3]:

See also

References

  1. ^ Legal instruments in the field of transport United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
  2. ^ Participants to the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic, 19 september 1949
  3. ^ 2004 Treaty Seminar Issues Notes

2. List of Contracting Parties to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic

External links

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