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Land Transport Act 1998

Offences relating to driving (other than alcohol- and drug-related offences) and penalties - Loading offences

42: Failure to secure load

You could also call this:

“You must secure items in your vehicle to stop them falling out”

If you are driving a vehicle on the road, or if you are loading a vehicle, you need to make sure that anything you’re carrying is properly secured. This means the load must be fastened or contained so it can’t fall off or escape from the vehicle. This rule also applies if you’re towing another vehicle.

If you don’t follow this rule, you’re breaking the law. If you’re caught and found guilty, there are penalties. If you’re an individual, you might have to pay up to $2,000. The court can also stop you from driving for a while. If a company breaks this rule, they might have to pay up to $10,000.

Remember, it’s your job to make sure everything in or on your vehicle is safe and secure before you start driving. This helps keep everyone on the road safe.

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This page was last updated on

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM434667.

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43: Overloading and over-dimension offences, or

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Part 5 Offences relating to driving (other than alcohol- and drug-related offences) and penalties
Loading offences

42Failure to secure load

  1. A person operating a motor vehicle on a road, and any person loading that vehicle, commits an offence if the person fails to ensure that any load carried in or on the vehicle, or in or on a vehicle being towed by the vehicle driven by the operator, is secured and contained in such a manner that it cannot fall or escape from the vehicle.

  2. If a person is convicted of an offence against subsection (1),—

  3. the maximum fine for an individual is $2,000 and the court may disqualify the person from holding or obtaining a driver licence for such period as the court thinks fit:
    1. the maximum fine for a body corporate is $10,000.

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      Notes
      • Section 42(1): amended, on , by section 26 of the Land Transport Amendment Act 2005 (2005 No 77).