Road Traffic Act, 1933

Applications for driving licences.

24.—(1) Any person who is not under the age of sixteen years and is not f or the time being disqualified by or under this Act for holding a driving licence may apply to the licensing authority in whose functional area he ordinarily resides or carries on business for the grant to him by such authority of a driving licence or, where the circumstances so require, of a renewal of a driving licence then or previously held by him.

(2) Every application under this section shall be in the prescribed form and shall be signed by the applicant and shall state the age of the applicant and such other particulars as shall be prescribed and shall either be accompanied by a certificate of fitness granted under Part VI of this Act to the applicant within one month before the date of the application or contain or be accompanied by a declaration in the following form signed by the applicant, that is to say:—

“I hereby declare that to the best of my knowledge I am not suffering from any disease or physical or mental disability which would be likely to cause the driving of a mechanically propelled vehicle in a public place by me to be a source of danger to the public.”

(3) A statement in an application under this section that the applicant is over the age of twenty-one years shall be a statement of the age of the applicant within the meaning of the foregoing sub-section of this section.

(4) Where an application under this section is for the grant of a driving licence by way of renewal of a previously granted licence and the licensing authority to whom such application is made holds a certificate of fitness lodged by the applicant for the purpose of a previous application under this section, such first-mentioned application may, in lieu of a certificate of fitness, be accompanied by or contain a declaration in the following form signed by the applicant, that is to say:—

“I hereby declare to the best of my knowledge that since the issue to me of the certificate of fitness dated the     day of         I have not suffered any new or increased physical or mental disability which would affect the validity of that certificate.”

(5) If any person signs a declaration under this section which is false to his knowledge he shall be guilty of an offence under this section and shall be liable on summary conviction thereof to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds or at the discretion of the court to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to both such fine and such imprisonment.

(6) In any prosecution for an offence under this section, proof that the person so prosecuted is the holder of a driving licence granted after the commencement of this Part of this Act shall be evidence, until the contrary is proved, that a declaration in the form required by this section has been signed by such person.