Definitions

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,— (a) “animal” means any elephant, camel, horse, ass, mule, cattle, sheep or goat; (b) “driver” means in the case of a vehicle, the person in charge or control of the vehicle for the time being, and in the case of an animal, any person driving, leading, riding or otherwise managing or controlling the animal, and the words “drive”, “driving” and “driven” shall be construed accordingly; (c) “highway” means any public thoroughfare whether a road, street, lane, bridlepath or a foot track, whether surfaced or unsurfaced, or whether on land owned by Government or a local authority or on land belonging to a private person over which the public have or have acquired, a right of way by usage, and includes,— (i) the slope, berm, barrow pits, foot-paths, pavements and side drains of any such thoroughfare; (ii) all bridges, culverts, causeways, carriageways or other road structures, built on or across such thoroughfares, and (iii) the trees, fences, posts and other highway accessories and materials and material stacks on the thoroughfare or on land attached to the thoroughfare; (d) “motor vehicle” means a motor vehicle as defined in the Motor Vehicles Act, 1939 (Central Act IV of 1939); (e) “notification” means a notification published in the official Gazette; (f) “permit” means the document issued by an authority competent to issue it authorising the use of the vehicle as a public vehicle; (g) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act; (h) “public place” means a road, street, way or other place, whether a thoroughfare or not, to which the public have a right of access or over which they have a right to pass, and includes any place or stand at which passengers are picked up or set down by a public vehicle; (i) “public vehicle” means any vehicle used or constructed or adapted to be used for the carriage of passengers or goods for hire or reward, other than a motor vehicle; (j) “Schedule” means a Schedule to this Act; (k) “vehicle” includes any wheeled conveyance drawn, propelled or driven by any kind of power including human, animal, motor, steam or electric power and includes any barrow, sledge, plough, drag or like vehicle, but does not include a motor vehicle.