- Laws of Fiji

Last Updated: 1 August 2020

[LAT 11,595] General requirements37

(1) The Authority may refuse to register a vehicle unless evidence is produced to the satisfaction of the Authority that the vehicle was manufactured or assembled, as the case may be, to comply with international or local safety, emission and design standards acceptable to the Authority.

(2) A person must not sell a motor vehicle which has not been previously registered in Fiji unless the person provides to the purchaser or the Authority a pre-registration certificate in the approved form stating that the vehicle complies with safety, emission and design standard specified in subregulation (1).

(3) A pre-registration certificate under subregulation (2) may be issued by the following—

(a)the local importer, distributor or manufacturer of a standard make or model of the vehicle;
(b)the importer of standard make or model of used vehicles which are certified as similar make or model that has been previously registered under the Act;
(c)a firm approved by the Authority to alter the entity, form, safety, emission or basic design of the vehicle;
(d)a vehicle certification engineer approved by the Authority;
(e)an authorised officer of the Authority.

(4) A certificate under subregulation (1) by an importer, distributor or manufacturer may take the form of certification that the vehicle is of similar make or model which has been approved by the Authority.

(5) The safety, emission and design standards referred to in subregulation (1) must relate to the following vehicle features—

(a)reversing signal lamps, a specification including the photometric requirements for reversing lamps which will warn pedestrians and other road users that the vehicle is about to move or is moving in the reverse direction, and which during the hours of darkness will aid the driver in reversing manoeuvres, all vehicles except motorcycles and small trailers;
(b)door latches and hinges, a specification for side door locks and side door retention components including latches, hinges and other supporting means to minimise the likelihood of occupants being thrown from a vehicle as a result of impact, all motor vehicles except motorcycles and large omnibuses;
(c)seat anchorages, a specification for seats, their attachment assemblies and installations to minimise the possibility of occupant injury due to forces acting on the seat as a result of vehicle impact, all motor vehicles except motorcycles;
(d)seat belts and child restraint, a specification for seat belts, and child restraint as applicable to restrain vehicle occupants under impact conditions, to facilitate fastening and correct adjustment, to assist the driver to remain in his or her seat and thus maintain control of the vehicle in an emergency situation, and to provide protection against ejection in an accident situation, all motor vehicles except motorcycles and omnibuses;
(e)anchorages for seat belts and child restraints, a specification for seat belt anchorage for seat belt assemblies and child restraints so that seat belt assemblies may be adequately secured to the vehicle structure or seat and will meet comfort requirements in use, all motor vehicles except motorcycles and omnibuses;
(f)direction indicators, a specification including the photometric requirements for direction indicators which will provide adequate warning to other road users of the intention to perform a turning manoeuvre, all vehicles;
(g)hydraulic brake hoses, a specification of the performance requirements of hydraulic brake hoses in motor vehicles so that the risk of failure in service will be minimised, all motor vehicles using hydraulic braking systems;
(h)safety glazing material, a specification of the performance requirements of material used for external or internal glazing in motor vehicles which will ensure adequate visibility under normal operating conditions, will minimise obscuration when shattered, and will minimise the likelihood of serious injury if a person comes in contact with the broken glazing material, all motor vehicles except motorcycles;
(i)steering columns, a specification of performance requirements of the steering column in the event of a forward impact to minimise crushing or penetrating injuries to drivers, passenger cars;
(j)glare reduction in the field of view, a specification to minimise glare from certain surfaces in field of view of the driver, all motor vehicles except motorcycles;
(k)rear vision mirrors, a specification for rear vision mirrors to provide the driver with a clear and reasonably unobstructed view to the rear, all motor vehicles except motorcycles;
(l)demisting of windscreens, a specification of the performance of equipment capable of forcing air to maintain windscreens clear of mist so that driver's forward vision is not obscured, all motor vehicles except motorcycles;
(m)windscreen wipers and washers, a specification for windscreen wipers and washers to ensure reasonable visibility through the windscreen in inclement weather, all motor vehicles except motorcycles;
(n)instrumentation, a specification of requirements for the provision and location of certain visual indicators, all motor vehicles except motorcycles;
(o)safety rims, a specification for one piece wheel rims to ensure the rim will retain a deflated tyre in the event of a rapid loss of inflation pressure, passenger cars;
(p)instrument panels, a specification for instrument panels to reduce their injury potential to occupants on impact, passenger cars;
(q)head restraints, a specification for the design of head restraints so as to limit the severity of injury in the event of rear end impacts and to ensure that the head restraints cannot be adjusted too low, all motor vehicles other than motorcycles;
(r)passenger car tyres, a specification for the strength, construction and standard pressure or load relationships for tyres of particular size designations to facilitate the choice of passenger car tyres for light passenger vehicles, passenger cars;
(s)tyres and rims, the selection and matching of tyres and rims appropriate to vehicle load capacity and speed characteristics, all vehicles except motorcycles;
(t)anti-theft locks, a specification for a lock to inhibit unauthorised use of the vehicle and to minimise the possibility of inadvertent adjustment of steering locks to the anti-theft position when the vehicle is in motion, passenger cars;
(u)side door strength, a specification of strength and stiffness requirements for side doors to reduce intrusion into the passenger compartment as a result of side impact, passenger cars;
(v)braking system, a specification to ensure safe braking under normal and emergency conditions, all motor vehicles;
(w)noise, a specification to define limits on external noise emitted from a vehicle in order to limit the contribution by these vehicles to community noise, all motor vehicles;
(x)hazardous materials, specifications for the safe transportation of hazardous materials including petroleum products, gases, chemicals and explosives, goods vehicles;
(y)gas fuel systems, specifications for the safety and operation of fuel systems using gaseous fuel including liquid petroleum gas, “LPG” in this Part, and compressed natural gas, “CNG” in this Part, all motor vehicles;
(z)liquid fuel, specifications to define the types and specifications of fuel on which the vehicle must be capable of operating without unreasonable deterioration to the manufacturer's ratings for performance and fuel consumption, all motor vehicles;
(aa)gaseous emissions, a specification to define equipment and performance requirements to limit exhaust and other gaseous emissions to levels commensurate with protection of the environment, all motor vehicles;
(bb)head lamps and other lamps, a specification of equipment and performance requirements for head lamps, parking lamps, clearance lamps, marker lamps, tail lamps, stop lamps, number plate lamps and any other lamps not covered under paragraphs (a) and (f), all motor vehicles;
(cc)reflectors, a specification of equipment and performance requirements for illuminating a vehicle when lamps are not lit, such as when the vehicle is parked, and for enhancing the vehicle's visibility generally, all motor vehicles;
(dd)windscreen, a specification to define the characteristics required of a windscreen to provide for clear undistorted vision and to minimise the hazard that the windscreen may pose through breaking in an accident, all motor vehicles except motorcycles and trailers;
(ee)mudguards, a specification aimed at minimising the hazards, nuisance and possible damage as may be caused to other vehicles and the vehicle itself by water, mud and pebbles being thrown up from the road, particularly in wet weather conditions, all motor vehicles.

(6) Any vehicle feature specified under subregulation (5), must be maintained by the owner of the vehicle in a satisfactory condition.

(7) No modification which could reduce the value of the designed level of safety, emission control or operation in a vehicle under this regulation may be made without the prior approval of the Authority.

(8) Notwithstanding the provisions of the Act, the Authority may impose the following conditions relating to the registration and use of any vehicle, including any articulated or combination vehicle—

(a)public streets on which the vehicle may or may not be permitted to operate;
(b)hours of the day during which the vehicle may or may not be permitted to operate;
(c)fitting signs, lamps, reflectors and any other devices which may not otherwise be required by the Act;
(d)use of pilot or escort vehicles, including vehicles operated by the police or Authority;
(e)any other condition the Authority thinks fit to impose.