Catalogue description Records inherited and created by the Ministry of Transport, Road Safety and Vehicle Regulation Divisions and successors

Ministry of Transport and successors, Road Transport and Vehicle Regulation Divisions, 1937-1970

The Road Transport and Vehicle Regulation Divisions of the Ministry of Transport were established in 1937, as divisions of the reorganised roads department. Before that date, sections of the Roads Department had dealt with construction, regulation and the licensing and control of passenger and goods vehicles. In 1940, further reorganisation led to the creation of a single Road Transport Division responsible for the licensing of road services, public service vehicles and their drivers, and goods vehicles; the regulation of the construction, lighting and use of motor vehicles; speed limits; registration and taxation of vehicles; and compulsory third party insurance.

Licensing work was undertaken by the licensing authorities and vehicle registration and the collection of motor taxes carried out by local authorities on an agency basis.

Wartime control of road transport and partial nationalisation after the Second World War increased the division's work and led to the creation of three divisions dealing with goods transport, passenger transport, and vehicle regulation and taxation.

From 1946 to 1955, traffic safety was the responsibility of the Highways (Traffic Safety) Division, but in 1955, this division was dissolved and separate Road Traffic and Road Safety Divisions were established. In 1961, the Road Traffic Division was dissolved and its functions distributed between a number of Highways Divisions and the Road Safety Division.

In 1960, a London Traffic Division was formed as part of the reorganisation of the Road Safety and Vehicle Registration Group. It had responsibility for the regulation of road traffic in the London area including speed limits, waiting restrictions, one way traffic systems, weight restrictions, pedestrian crossings, parking places including the use of parking meters, road signs and traffic signals. The Division also had responsibility for servicing the London and Home Counties Traffic Advisory Committee. The Division ceased to exist in 1964 as a result of a Departmental reorganisation and its functions were transferred to a new London Highways Division.

A General Traffic Division, set up in 1962 was concerned with the regulation of road traffic outside the London Traffic Area, including speed limits, pedestrian crossings, traffic signs and signals. It also exercised general oversight over the use of the powers of local authorities to provide parking places and to impose waiting restrictions, one-way traffic systems, weight restrictions and other forms of traffic regulation within their areas.

In 1964, a Traffic Control Development Division was formed as part of a general re-organisation of Highways Division. It was responsible for the general development of equipment associated with traffic control devices, such as traffic lights and pedestrian crossings.

In 1966 the Road Safety Division was split into two, traffic and general. A third - Road Safety (Local) Division - was added later. The first division was concerned with speed limits, traffic signs and pedestrian crossings; the second with the road safety programme and legislation; the third with local application of road safety publicity and training.

The Driving and Motor Licences Branch was created in 1962 to take on the taxation work of vehicle registration. In 1964 it became a division under the Road Safety and Vehicle Regulation Group.

The Driving and Motor Licences Branch was responsible for the administration of the Road Traffic Acts in so far as they relate to motor insurance, driving and traffic examiners; for the administration of registration, licensing and taxation of vehicles under the Vehicles (Excise) Acts and for the administration of regulations concerned with the international circulation of vehicles.

The division later became responsible for the creation and maintenance of the Register of Approved Driving Instructors. The Driving and Motor Licences Branch continued until the creation of the Department of the Environment in 1970, when its work was taken over by the Centralised Licensing Directorate at Swansea. Additionally, in 1973 local authority responsibility for the licensing of drivers and motor vehicle registration and taxation, was centralised and computerised at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre at Swansea.