S163 RTA 1988: Who may require stop?

• A. A police constable or traffic officer
• B. The driver only
• C. A citizen
• D. A private security guard

Answer: (A)

The power to require a vehicle to stop is an enforcement authority given to official police personnel. Under S163 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, a police constable or a traffic officer is the person who may signal or instruct a driver to stop. This reflects that stopping vehicles for enforcement or safety purposes is a police function, not something that private individuals can delegate or exercise.

Private security guards, members of the public, or even drivers themselves do not have the statutory authority to compel a vehicle to stop. A driver is the one who must respond to such a lawful signal, and failing to stop when signalled would be an offence.

So the correct understanding is that only a police constable or traffic officer may require a vehicle to stop.