Section 142: Power to stop vehicles

142. Power to stop vehicles (1) (a) In addition to any other power conferred by this Act, a police officer in uniform or a traffic warden in uniform may require the driver of a motor vehicle to stop his vehicle. (b) A police officer in uniform or a police officer or a road transport inspector not in uniform, who produces his identity card, may— (i) require the driver of a motor vehicle to furnish his name and address and give any other particulars required as to his identification; (ii) require a person in a motor vehicle to furnish his name and address and give any other particulars required as to his identification and give such information as is in his power to give which may lead to the identification of the driver or owner of the vehicle; (iii) — (iv) ascertain the dimensions of a motor vehicle or trailer or its laden weight or axle weights, and, for this purpose, require any person or goods to be removed from the motor vehicle or trailer; (v) direct the removal from a motor vehicle or trailer of such passengers or goods as may cause the laden weight of the vehicle or trailer to exceed its gross weight; or (vi) — (vii) — (viii) drive or cause to be driven a motor vehicle where necessary in the exercise of his duties, to investigate whether an offence is being committed in relation to the motor vehicle. (c) No police officer or road transport inspector shall, unless he is the holder of a driving licence of the appropriate class, drive a motor vehicle in the exercise of any of the powers and duties conferred or imposed on him under this Act. (d) A vehicle examiner may, at any time, on production of his identification card, exercise, with respect to the weighing of public service vehicles and goods vehicles, all such powers as are exercisable by a police officer with respect to the weighing of motor vehicles and trailers. (2) The Minister may make regulations for— (a) the taking and weighing of motor vehicles or trailers to weighbridges; (b) the issue of certificates showing the recorded weight of the motor vehicles or trailers; and [Issue 9] R27 – 118 Revised Laws of Mauritius (c) the exemption of motor vehicles or trailers that have been weighed from further weighings during the validity of the certificates. (3) A person who fails to comply with a request lawfully made under this section shall commit an offence. [S. 142 amended by s. 12 of Act 38 of 1999 w.e.f. 1 December 2000; s. 9 of Act 19 of 2016 w.e.f. 3 November 2016.]