Driving in Tzulhon

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In Tzulhon, cars and other vehicles drive on the right side of the road. As a result, virtually all vehicles are left-hand drive; besides, right-hand drive cars can't be registered and are not permitted on the road.

There are numerous regulations on driving behavior, including speed limits, passing regulations, and seat belt requirements. Driving while intoxicated with alcohol is illegal in all jurisdictions within Tzulhon; besidees, the per-capita car ownership rate in Tzulhon is approximately 12.5 cars per 100 people (or 1 car per 8 people). In Tzulhon, most people travel in carpools or take public transport to their workplace, only less than 20% of people in Tzulhon drive alone to their workplace.

Driving licence

In Tzulhon, a driving licence is the official document which authorises its holder to operate motor vehicles on highways and other public roads. It is administered by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency of each state. Driving license in Tzulhon is hard to obtain, due to the difficulty of the road test. Only less than 1/3 of all adults in Tzulhon have a driving licence. People with colour blind are not allowed to get a driving licence.

As Tzulhon nationals do not normally have identity cards, a photographic driving licence can serve many of the purposes of an identity card in non-driving contexts, such as proof of identity (e.g. when opening a bank account) or of age (e.g. when buying age-restricted goods such as alcohol). In day-to-day life there is no legal requirement to carry identification whilst driving or otherwise, and most authorities do not arbitrarily ask for identification from individuals.

Heavy vehicles

For some heavy vehicles, like buses and trucks, a Commercial driver's licence is required, while a regular driver licence is required for remaining vehicles.

Taxi drivers

Taxi drivers must have an additional licence besides the regular driver license, and to gain the taxi licence, one must pass a test, proving that they have knowledge about streets and traffic rules in a specific area. Taxi licences are municipality-specific, to provide taxi services in miltiple municipalities, a taxi driver must take tests in each municipality he/she is willing to serve.

In Tzulhon, most taxis are painted yellow, and yellow is widely considered as the colour for taxis in Tzulhon.

In modern days, apps for carpools and taxis are popular, the most notable app for carpools and taxis is Kuzar.

Roads in Tzulhon

The rules of the road

Although each state sets its own traffic laws, most laws are the same or similar throughout the country. Traffic is required to keep to the right, known as a right-hand traffic pattern.

Most states in Tzulhon enforce priority to the right at uncontrolled intersections, where motorists must yield to the right.

Speed limits

Speed limits are set by each state, county, or municipality, on the roads within their jurisdiction. The maximum speed limit on rural two-lane roads ranges from 80 km/h (50 mph) in areas near the Tzulkeyo Capital District to 120 km/h (75 mph) in parts of Ozil.

Most roads in the Tzulhon have a speed limit, but it is not always posted (especially in rural areas); however, expressways usually don't have a speed limit.

Lane discipline and overtaking

Overtaking, usually called "passing", is legal on all four or more lane roads and on most two-lane roads with sufficient sight distance. On two-lane roads, one must pass to the left of the overtaken vehicle unless that vehicle is preparing to make a left turn, in which case the vehicle must be passed on the right. Passing on the left means that the overtaking vehicle must enter the oncoming lane. This should only be done in a legal passing zone, designated by either a dashed yellow center-line (indicating that passing is legal in both directions) or a solid line paired with a dashed line (indicating that passing is only legal for traffic adjacent to the broken line). A solid double yellow line indicated that passing is illegal in both directions.

Seat belt use

In Tzulhon, there are laws requiring seat belt use by at least all occupants of the front seat.

Traffic signs

To convey the message immediately, the roadway signs in Tzulhon use symbols rather than words. The use of symbols is not bothered by any language barriers, and can be instant communication for drivers and pedestrians in order to manage the transportation and the traffic safety.

Traffic safety

Drunk driving

Drunk driving is driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or both, to the degree that mental and motor skills are impaired. It is illegal in all jurisdictions within Tzulhon. Such laws may also apply to boating or flying an aircraft. This applies to all vehicles, which can include farm machinery and horse-drawn carriages.

Buying a car

Many regulations concerning buying and driving a car are administered by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency of each state.

Certificate of Entitlement

New car buyers are required to buy a Certificate of Entitlement (COE), which is valid for 15 years. Extension for two or three years of the typical car lifespan is only for those who have special difficulties. Car buyers can scrap the car earlier than the typical car lifespan. The term "bidding" is often used, but in practice new car dealers assist in the process. The fee of each COE is added on to the costs of a new car based on engine size—Category A is 1,600 cc engine and below; Category B is 1,601 cc engine and above—and is generally lower for Category A vehicles.

The COE is applicable throughout the coutry, generally, COE gained in one state can be used in another state.

Requirements for parking spaces

In most areas in Tzulhon, all privately owned vehicles must have a specific parking space. The width/length and height of the space should be sufficient for a vehicle to fit, and the parking space must be within 2 km from the registered residence/office address of the owner. The information about the parking space for each car is recorded on the COE.

Besides the proof-of-parking rule, in most areas in Tzulhon, on-street parking is generally banned. There are some metered on-street parking spaces in cities in Tzulhon, they have a 60 minute time limit; besides, after 3 am, all vehicles parked in parking meter car parks will be towed away.

The only area in Tzulhon that does not require a parking space for privately owned cars is the state of Mani Islands; however, anyone who move from the Mani Islands to other states must acquire a parking space within 2 km from their registered residence/office address to be able to drive legally.

Preferential Additional Registration Fee

A car owner may apply for a portion of the Preferential Additional Registration Fee (PARF) if a car is de-registered before 10 years. The term "Additional Registration Fee (ARF)" is calculated from 110% of Open Market Value (OMV). If a car is less than 5 years old, then the PARF is 75% of the ARF.

Open Market Value

The Open Market Value (OMV) of a vehicle is determined by Tzulhon customs and is equivalent to the price of the car, including freight and other incidental charges.

Licence plates

Vehicle licence plates in Tzulhon are 520 mm × 110 mm in size. Red licence plates indicate that the car may be driven only during off-peak times unless a daily fee is paid, and the red licence plate is called "off-peak licence plates". Off-peak times are from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekdays and all day on Saturdays and Sundays. Off-peak licence plates cost less than regular ones. Standard licence plates in Tzulhon are usually black with silver or white lettering.

Left-hand drive vehicles

In Tzulhon, only left-hand-drive cars are permitted on the roads, diplomatic vehicles and foreign-registered vehicles must be left-hand-drive vehicles to be permitted on the roads. Without exceptions, right-hand-drive vehicles are not permitted on the roads.

Measures to reduce vehicle usage

Several steps have to be completed before a car-owner can drive a vehicle in Tzulhon. A Certificate of Entitlement (COE) is required, costing more than S$80,000 to successful bidders. This permits ownership of the vehicle for a period of 15 years after which the vehicle must be scrapped or another COE paid for allowing an additional 5-15 years of usage. COE is technically a lease at an inflated cost. Only 15-year COEs may be further renewed to another 5-15 years and no extension of the car is given. Historic vehicles are exempted from these requirements.

Certain roads and all expressways in Tzulhon are subject to the Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system; besides, some cities and other types of municipalities have road lanes reserved for carpools and/or public transports.

COEs and the ERP system are intended to encourage people to travel in carpools or use public transport such as trains, buses, the MRT and public buses instead of driving. The increasing parking charges in carparks from 1 December 2016 in electronic parking and selected season parking also deter people from driving and encouraged to travel in carpools or take public transport.

See also