adopted standard means a standard, except an ADR, that is applied, adopted or incorporated by the Vehicle Standards;
ADR means a second edition ADR or a third edition ADR;
ADR (Definitions and Vehicle Categories) means the Vehicle Standard (Australian Design Rule – Definitions and Vehicle Categories) 2005 made under the RVSA;
air brake means an air-operated or air-assisted brake;
Airservices Australia vehicle means a vehicle that may be driven by any of the following persons in the course of the person’s duties under the Air Services Act 1995 of the Commonwealth:
(a) the Chief Executive Officer of Airservices Australia appointed under section 34 of that Act;
(b) a person appointed to act as Chief Executive Officer of Airservices Australia appointed under section 41 of that Act;
(c) a person employed under section 42 of that Act;
(d) a person engaged as a consultant under section 43 of that Act;
air storage tank, of a vehicle, means a tank fitted to the vehicle for storing compressed air;
Australian Border Force vehicle means a vehicle that may be driven by an Immigration and Border Protection worker as defined in the Australian Border Force Act 2015 of the Commonwealth, in the course of the worker’s duties under that Act;
means a vehicle that may be driven by a person who is a member of the Defence Force accepted for service under the of the Commonwealth, in the course of the person’s service under that Act; or
Australian Defence Force vehicle
Defence Act 1903
Australian Federal Police vehicle means a vehicle that may be driven by any of the following persons in the course of the person’s duties under the Australian Federal Police Act 1979 of the Commonwealth:
(a) the Commissioner of Police appointed under that Act;
(b) an AFP appointee appointed under that Act;
Australian Standard means a standard approved for publication by Standards Australia;
| Note: | Copies of Australian Standards are available for purchase from Standards Australia at www.standards.org.au |
axle group means a single axle group, tandem axle group, twinsteer axle group, tri-axle group or quad-axle group;
braking system, of a vehicle, means all the brakes of the vehicle and all the components of the mechanisms by which they are operated;
British Standard means a standard approved for publication on behalf of the British Standards Institution;
| Note: | Copies of British Standards are available for purchase from Standards Australia at www.standards.org.au |
British Standards Institution means the institution of that name established under royal charter in the United Kingdom;
car means a motor vehicle built mainly to carry people that –
(a) seats not more than 9 adults including the driver; and
(b) has a body commonly known as a sedan, station wagon, coupe, convertible or roadster; and
(c) has 4 or more wheels;
centre-line means –
(a) in respect of an axle –
(i) if the axle consists of one shaft, a line parallel to the length of the axle and passing through the centre of the axle; or
(ii) if the axle consists of 2 shafts, a line in the vertical plane passing through –
(a) the centre of both shafts; and
(b) the centres of the wheels on the shafts;
(b) in respect of an axle group –
(i) if the group consists of 2 axles, one of which is fitted with twice the number of tyres as the other axle, a line located one-third of the way from the centre-line of the axle with more tyres towards the centre-line of the axle with fewer tyres; and
(ii) in any other case, a line located midway between the centre-lines of the outermost axles of the group;
conspicuity marking has the same meaning as in ADR 13/00, as amended or substituted from time to time;
converter dolly means a light trailer with one axle group or a single axle, and a fifth-wheel coupling, designed to convert a semi-trailer into a dog trailer;
daylight means the period in a day from sunrise to sunset;
diesel engine means an engine that works on the compression-ignition principle;
dog trailer means a light trailer, including a light trailer consisting of a semi-trailer and converter dolly, with –
(a) one axle group or a single axle at the front that is steered by connection to the towing vehicle by a drawbar; and
(b) one axle group or a single axle at the rear;
drawbar means a part of a trailer, except a semi-trailer, connecting the trailer body to a coupling for towing purposes;
drive includes be in control of;
driver, of a vehicle, means the person driving the vehicle;
emergency brake means a brake designed to be used if a service brake fails;
emergency vehicle means –
(a) an ambulance; or
(b) a vehicle built or permanently modified for firefighting purposes; or
(c) a vehicle used by an electricity authority for carrying out emergency repairs to power lines;
fifth-wheel coupling means a device, except the upper rotating element and the kingpin (which are parts of a semi-trailer), used with a prime mover, semi-trailer or converter dolly, to allow quick coupling and uncoupling and to provide for articulation;
front fog light means a light used to improve the illumination of the road in case of fog, snowfall, heavy rain or a dust storm;
glazing means material that may be used in a windscreen, window or interior partition of a motor vehicle, through which the driver of the vehicle can see the road, but does not include a coating added after manufacture of the material;
GTM (gross trailer mass) means the mass transmitted to the ground by the axles of a trailer when the trailer is loaded to its GVM and connected to a towing vehicle;
high-beam, for a headlight or front fog light fitted to a vehicle, means that the light is built or adjusted so that, when the vehicle is standing on level ground, the top of the main beam of light projected is above the low-beam position;
large bus means a bus with a seating capacity of more than 25 adults including the driver;
left, for a vehicle, means to the left of the centre of the vehicle when viewed by a person in the vehicle who is facing to the front of the vehicle;
light bus means a bus that is a light motor vehicle;
light combination means a combination that is not a heavy combination within the meaning of the Heavy Vehicle National Law (Tasmania);
light motor vehicle means a motor vehicle that is a light vehicle;
light prime mover means a prime mover that is a light vehicle;
light semi-trailer means a semi-trailer that is a light trailer;
light trailer means a trailer that is not a heavy trailer within the meaning of the Heavy Vehicle National Law (Tasmania);
low-beam, for a headlight or front fog light fitted to a vehicle, means that the light is built or adjusted so that, when the vehicle is standing on level ground, the top of the main beam of light projected is –
(a) not higher than the centre of the headlight or fog light, when measured 8 metres in front of the vehicle; and
(b) not more than one metre higher than the level where the motor vehicle is standing, when measured 25 metres in front of the vehicle;
luminous transmittance, for glazing or a coating on glazing, means the amount of light that can pass through the glazing as a percentage of the amount of light that would be transmitted if the glazing or coating were absent;
moped means a motor bike or motor trike with an engine cylinder capacity of not more than 50 millilitres and a maximum speed of not more than 50 kilometres per hour;
mudguard means a fitting or device, with or without a mudflap, that is built and fitted to a vehicle in a way that will, as far as practicable, catch or deflect downwards any stone, mud, water, or other substance, thrown up by the rotation of the wheel to which the fitting or device is fitted;
nearer side of the vehicle, in relation to a light or reflector fitted to a vehicle, means the side of the vehicle that is closest to where the light or reflector is fitted;
parking brake, of a vehicle, means the brake usually used to keep the vehicle stationary while the vehicle is parked;
pig trailer means a light trailer that –
(a) has one axle group or a single axle near the middle of its load-carrying surface; and
(b) is connected to a towing vehicle by a drawbar;
point of articulation means –
(a) the axis of a kingpin for a fifth wheel; or
(b) the vertical axis of rotation of a fifth-wheel coupling; or
(c) the vertical axis of rotation of a turntable assembly; or
(d) the vertical axis of rotation of the front axle group, or single axle, of a dog trailer; or
(e) the coupling pivot point of a semi-trailer;
pole-type trailer means a light trailer that –
(a) is attached to a towing vehicle by a pole, or an attachment fitted to the pole; and
(b) is ordinarily used for transporting loads, such as logs, pipes, structural members or other long objects, that can generally support themselves like beams between supports;
police vehicle means a vehicle that may be driven by a police officer in the course of the police officer’s duty;
quad-axle group means a group of 4 axles in which the horizontal distance between the centre-lines of the outermost axles is more than 3.2 metres, but not more than 4.9 metres;
rear fog light means a light used on a vehicle to make it more easily visible from the rear in dense fog;
rear glazing, in relation to a light motor vehicle, means glazing used in a window or interior partition of the motor vehicle located behind the driver in the normal driving position;
rear marking plate means a rear marking plate that complies with VSB 12 – National Code of Practice – Rear Marking Plates, as amended or substituted from time to time;
| Note: | VSB 12 is available from the website of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator at https://www.nhvr.gov.au |
repeater horn means a device that makes a sound alternating between different tones or frequencies on a regular time cycle;
right, for a vehicle, means to the right of the centre of the vehicle when viewed by a person in the vehicle who is facing to the front of the vehicle;
school bus means a bus that is being used exclusively for the carriage of schoolchildren, with or without a supervising adult;
second edition ADR means a national standard incorporated in the document described as the Australian Design Rules for Motor Vehicle Safety, Second Edition originally published by the then Commonwealth Department of Transport;
service brake, for a vehicle, means the brake normally used to decelerate the vehicle;
side-marker light means a light fitted to the side of a vehicle indicating the presence and length of the vehicle when viewed on that side;
single axle means an axle not forming part of an axle group;
single axle group means a group of at least 2 axles in which the horizontal distance between the centre-lines of the outermost axles is less than one metre;
small bus means a bus with a seating capacity of not more than 25 adults including the driver;
spring brake means a brake using one or more springs to store the energy needed to operate the brake;
Standards Australia means Standards Australia Limited ACN 087 326 690, or any body to which Standards Australia Limited is a successor in law or that is a successor in law to Standards Australia Limited;
street rod vehicle is a light vehicle that –
(a) has been modified for safe road use; and
(b) has a body and frame that were built, or is a replica of a vehicle the body and frame of which were built, before 1949;
tandem axle group means a group of at least 2 axles in which the horizontal distance between the centre-lines of the outermost axles is at least one metre, but not more than 2 metres;
third edition ADR means –
(a) a national standard determined under the MVSA as in force from time to time before the repeal of that Act; or
(b) a national road vehicle standard determined under section 12 of the RVSA;
towing vehicle, for a trailer, means the vehicle towing the trailer;
transport enforcement vehicle means a vehicle, other than a police vehicle, that may be driven by the following persons:
(a) an authorised officer, within the meaning of the Traffic Act 1925 , in the course of the officer’s duty;
(b) an authorised officer, within the meaning of the Heavy Vehicle National Law, in the course of the officer’s duty;
tri-axle group means a group of at least 3 axles in which the horizontal distance between the centre-lines of the outermost axles is more than 2 metres, but not more than 3.2 metres;
twinsteer axle group means a group of 2 axles –
(a) that –
(i) are fitted to a motor vehicle; and
(ii) have single tyres; and
(iii) are connected to a common steering mechanism; and
(b) in which the horizontal distance between the centre-lines of the axles is at least one metre, but not more than 2 metres;
turntable means a bearing built to carry vertical and horizontal loads, but that does not allow quick separation of its upper and lower rotating elements, and that is used to connect and allow articulation between –
(a) a prime mover and a semi-trailer; or
(b) the steering axle or axle group of a dog trailer and the body of the trailer; or
(c) a fifth-wheel coupling and the vehicle to which it is mounted;
vacuum brakes means vacuum-operated or vacuum-assisted brakes;
vacuum storage tank, of a vehicle, means a tank fitted to the vehicle for storing air at low pressure;
VSB means a Vehicle Standards Bulletin published by the Department of the Commonwealth responsible for the administration of road transport, as in force from time to time;
warning light means a light fitted to a vehicle designed specifically to warn road users of the vehicle’s presence on a road;
yellow includes amber.
(2) Unless the contrary intention appears –
(a) a definition in the Vehicle Standards applies to each use of the word or expression in the Vehicle Standards; and
(b) a reference in the Vehicle Standards to an ADR is a reference to the ADR as in force from time to time; and
(c) a reference in the Vehicle Standards to an adopted standard is a reference to the adopted standard as in force when the Vehicle Standards commenced.
(3) In these regulations, the width of a vehicle does not include the following devices or systems:
(a) anti-skid devices mounted on wheels;
(b) central tyre inflation systems;
(c) lights, mirrors and reflectors;
(d) signalling devices;
(e) tyre pressure gauges;
(f) permanently affixed webbing assembly-type devices if the width of the vehicle including those devices does not exceed 2.55 metres.
