Imperial Road and Driver Code

Article 1. Application

This Code governs equids, riders, handlers, drivers, carriages, carts, wagons, sleighs, mounted services, carriage services, private driving, public-road training, road crossings, equid-priority routes, service lanes, and all road users interacting with equids.

Article 2. Welfare and public safety

Road access shall be organised to protect equids, riders, handlers, passengers, pedestrians, and other road users. Speed, schedule, traffic convenience, public demand, tourism, ceremony, government function, or emergency-adjacent purpose shall not override equid welfare or immediate safety.

Article 3. Functional interpretation

The actual road use, vehicle, service, load, route, traffic condition, and welfare burden control. A person shall not evade this Code by calling a commercial activity private, a passenger service ceremonial, road training in-hand exposure, or ordinary work emergency service.

Article 4. Equid road certification

No equid shall enter a public road for ridden, led, driven, mounted-service, commercial, ceremonial, training, or working use unless it holds the road certification required for that use and displays the required current status markers.

Direct emergency movement from immediate danger or to urgent veterinary care may occur without prior certification only where no safer alternative exists and the movement is recorded and reported.

Article 5. Driver and rider licences

No person shall operate a carriage, mounted service, commercial ridden service, tourist service, rental service, passenger service, freight service, ceremonial service, or emergency equid service on a public road unless licensed for the relevant equid type, vehicle or mounted class, route class, traffic class, service type, and conditions.

Private riders, handlers, and drivers shall meet any competency certificate required for the route or vehicle class.

Article 6. Operator licences

Every carriage, rental, tourist, riding, courier, mounted-service, freight, passenger, ceremonial, or public equid-road operator shall hold an operator licence. The licence shall identify responsible management, stabling and recovery facilities, vehicles, routes, staff, emergency arrangements, record systems, insurance where required, and welfare compliance.

Article 7. Issue and renewal

A licence or certificate may be issued only after documented competency, welfare, equipment, route, vehicle, record, and emergency assessment. Ordinary licences shall expire no later than three years after issue. Higher-risk, provisional, restricted, training-only, and emergency-service approvals may have shorter periods.

Renewal requires current records and reassessment. Expiry, suspension, revocation, or material change ends authority immediately.

Article 8. Independence and conflict of interest

A person shall not certify their own equid, vehicle, route, business, close family member, employer, financial partner, or equipment design. A certifying officer shall disclose conflicts and withdraw where impartiality may reasonably be questioned.

Article 9. Suspension and revocation

The competent authority may immediately suspend a licence, certificate, route, vehicle, equid, service, or operator where there is serious welfare risk, unsafe control, false records, obstruction, repeated breach, unfit equids, unsafe equipment, or a serious incident.

Article 10. Appeals

A person affected by refusal, restriction, suspension, or revocation may request written reasons and an independent appeal. An appeal does not stay an emergency welfare or safety suspension unless the reviewing authority expressly orders otherwise.

Article 11. Route certification

A route shall be assessed for width, traffic density, speed environment, passing space, gradients, stopping distance, surfaces, bridges, underpasses, railway-corridor separation, tunnels, lighting, visibility, climate exposure, shade, water, Rest Courts, emergency pull-offs, and veterinary access.

Article 12. Route classes

Routes may be authorised as ordinary, restricted, training-only, service-only, daylight-only, seasonal, weather-dependent, vehicle-specific, mounted-only, led-only, or emergency-only. The strictest applicable restriction controls.

Article 13. Vehicle approval

An equid-drawn road vehicle shall be approved for weight, balance, axle load, wheel or runner type, braking, steering, stability, passenger protection, emergency release, lighting, signalling, hitch type, and the certified capacity of the assigned equid or team.

Vehicle brakes shall control the vehicle without depending upon the equid’s body to absorb avoidable braking force.

Article 14. General duty of other road users

A road user approaching an equid shall observe markers and human signals, reduce speed early, avoid unnecessary bells, whistles, shouting, whip-cracking, sudden acceleration, close following, splashing, glare, crowding, and abrupt movement, and leave sufficient lateral and stopping space.

Article 15. Ordinary passing

Unless a stricter marker or signal applies, a carriage, mounted road unit, ridden equid, led equid, or other moving road unit shall pass an equid only at a speed low enough to stop immediately, with not less than two metres lateral clearance where the road permits. Where two metres cannot be provided, the approaching unit shall wait unless the rider, driver, or handler deliberately signals a safe pass.

Article 16. Restricted passing

A white field with red border means that passing is prohibited until the rider, driver, or handler signals. A solid red field with a white X means stop and wait because an active hazard or immediate control condition exists. It shall not be confused with the white medical-service field bearing a red medical cross.

Article 17. Human signals

Approved hand, arm, lamp, paddle, carriage indicator, or Road Guard signals may instruct slow, stop, wait, pass, change side, or follow. A signal permits movement only where the road user can comply safely and does not override an obvious hazard.

Article 18. Following distance

A following road unit shall maintain enough distance to stop without reaching the equid if it shies, slips, falls, stops, reverses, or the leading vehicle becomes disabled. Tailgating an equid or carriage is prohibited.

Article 19. Groups and teams

A road user shall treat a pair, tandem, team, mounted unit, led group, or carriage convoy as one continuous protected unit unless an authorised officer or handler opens a safe gap and directs passage.

Article 20. Vulnerable locations

Passing is prohibited on a narrow bridge, blind bend, steep descent, tunnel, constriction, unstable shoulder, ice, flooding, active roadwork, or other location where safe clearance and recovery space are unavailable.

Article 21. Marker requirement

Every public-road equid shall wear an approved front Facial Marker and any required side or rear markers under the Imperial Public-Road Equid Status Marking Standard. Required marker illumination shall be activated from sunset to sunrise, in tunnels, and whenever visibility materially reduces marker recognition. Markers are instructions to humans and do not replace judgement or lawful control.

Article 22. Status hierarchy

Where more than one status applies, the highest-priority front instruction shall be displayed in this order:

1. active hazard or stop;
2. restricted passing;
3. authorised emergency service;
4. police or Road Guard control;
5. pregnancy or medical vulnerability;
6. yellow caution;
7. green or provisional status;
8. ordinary certified status.

Secondary statuses shall be displayed on approved side or rear markers. Two front inserts may be displayed only in a certified divided field that preserves full size, shape, contrast, and immediate recognition of both symbols.

Article 23. Service markers

Police, Road Guard, medical, fire, rescue, veterinary, postal, military, sovereign, and government markers may be used only under current recorded authorisation. Possession, display, manufacture, lending, alteration, or imitation of a restricted service marker without authority is prohibited.

Article 24. Damaged or unreadable markers

Where a required marker becomes missing, muddy, hidden, detached, damaged, unreadable, unable to illuminate when required, stuck in an incorrect mode, or depleted of safe power, the rider, driver, or handler shall stop at the first safe place and clean, uncover, correct, recharge, repair, or replace it. A standard emergency temporary marker may be used only for direct movement to safety, a Rest Court, stable, veterinary facility, or repair point.

Article 25. Lighting

Carriages and service equids shall use lighting and reflectors required by the Imperial Carriage Lighting and Signalling Standard. Switchable status-marker illumination is identification lighting governed by the Imperial Public-Road Equid Status Marking Standard and shall not be confused with emergency warning lamps or equid ground-guidance lamps. Lighting shall not blind, frighten, dazzle, heat, rattle against, or create sharp moving shadows for an equid.

Article 26. Low visibility

Road use shall be restricted or suspended where darkness, fog, snow, rain, dust, smoke, glare, or surface reflection prevents reliable judgement of the equid, vehicle, signals, footing, route edge, passing distance, or stopping distance.

Article 27. Road Guard powers

An authorised Road Guard officer may stop traffic, create a protected corridor, close or reroute a road, suspend passing, inspect markers, licences, equids, vehicles, and records, and order movement to a safe place where necessary for welfare or public safety.

Article 28. Emergency lanes

Authorised medical, fire, rescue, veterinary, or welfare equid services may use an approved emergency lane only where the equids, vehicle, route, lighting, and service are specifically certified. Other road users shall yield as directed without creating sudden noise, crowding, or an unsafe gap.

Article 29. Emergency is incident-specific

Emergency priority and any extension of ordinary limits must be authorised for the particular incident by emergency control, the Road Guard, the competent welfare authority, or a veterinarian acting within lawful authority. A standing certificate, operator policy, staffing shortage, event schedule, or commercial need shall not create emergency status.

Article 30. Road records

Commercial, public, private carriage, mounted-service, rental, tourist, freight, ceremonial, training, and government road use shall be recorded where another Code requires a work log. Records shall include date, time, equid, rider or driver, vehicle, route, load, weather band, markers, required marker-illumination activation and failures, start and finish, breaks, incidents, and restrictions.

Records shall be retained for at least ten years. Records connected with an injury, collision, fall, runaway, complaint, suspension, prosecution, or death shall be preserved until all proceedings and review periods are complete.

Article 31. Incident duties

After a fall, collision, runaway, collapse, entanglement, serious startle, vehicle failure, unsafe passing event, or injury, the responsible person shall secure the scene, protect the equid, summon assistance where needed, preserve records and equipment, report as required, and obtain veterinary assessment where welfare may have been affected.

Article 32. Inspection

The competent authority may inspect equids, licences, markers, tack, harness, vehicles, routes, lighting, loads, work records, climate records, Rest Courts, and operator facilities.

Article 33. Obstruction

It is an offence to refuse lawful access, flee or reroute to avoid inspection, hide or substitute an equid, vehicle, marker, or equipment item, destroy or alter records, intimidate witnesses, tamper with the scene or equipment, remove a certification mark, or refuse lawful measurement or veterinary examination.

Article 34. Road offences

Offences include unlicensed operation, uncertified road use, false or concealed markers, failure to activate required marker illumination, flashing, pulsing, colour-changing, dazzling, misleading, or service-imitating marker illumination, unsafe passing, excessive speed near equids, bell, whistle, shout, whip-crack, or other deliberate intimidation, tailgating, breach of a stop instruction, overloading, route violation, lighting violation, false emergency status, record falsification, and continued use after a suspension or incident stop.

Article 35. Penalties

Penalties may include warning, training, fine, route restriction, vehicle restriction, licence suspension or revocation, marker seizure, removal from road service, welfare investigation, and criminal proceedings where serious harm, deliberate intimidation, fraud, or repeated breach occurs.

Article 36. Stricter welfare rule

This Code governs road authority, licensing, priority, and traffic conduct. It does not authorise equipment, workload, climate exposure, or animal use prohibited by another Imperial welfare law. The stricter welfare-protective rule prevails.

Article 37. Lawful Road Transport

The public road network is a non-motor road system. Lawful ordinary road movement consists of walking, led or ridden equids, equid-drawn carriages, carts, wagons, sleighs, and other non-self-propelled movement expressly authorised by Imperial law.

A road vehicle under this Code means an equid-drawn carriage, cart, wagon, sleigh, or comparable non-self-propelled vehicle. It does not include a motor vehicle.

Article 38. Prohibition of Motor Road Vehicles and Hrossaway Freight Exception

Cars and other self-propelled road transport vehicles are prohibited throughout the ordinary Imperial road network. No car, van, lorry, bus, motorcycle, moped, motor taxi, self-propelled road carriage, or comparable wheeled or tracked transport vehicle may be manufactured, imported, registered, sold, hired, owned for ordinary road use, stored for ordinary operational road use, or operated within Imperial territory except under the narrow Hrossaway freight exception in this Article or the constitutional military tank exception.

Private, ordinary commercial, governmental, military, police, medical, fire, rescue, postal, ceremonial, agricultural, or emergency purpose does not create a general exception. Equipment that is not designed or used for transport is outside this Article, but may not be converted into ordinary road transport.

A Hrossaway is a designated, access-controlled motor-freight corridor connecting an international port, cargo-ferry terminal, border freight terminal, or other approved international freight gateway directly to one or more secured freight-transfer hubs, warehouses, rail terminals, or industrial transfer yards. A Hrossaway is not a public road and shall not form part of the ordinary local road network.

Only freight motor vehicles carrying goods in international import or export movement, and motor vehicles strictly necessary to recover, maintain, inspect, or respond to incidents within the Hrossaway system, may operate on a Hrossaway. A Hrossaway vehicle may carry only the driver and personnel necessary for the freight movement or corridor operation. Passenger service, private travel, commuting, tourism, local delivery, ordinary government travel, and use as a shortcut are prohibited.

The general public, pedestrians, ridden or led equids, equid-drawn vehicles, and non-motor bicycles shall not enter a Hrossaway. Hrossaways shall be physically separated from equid roads, public paths, settlements, and ordinary road traffic, with controlled access and grade-separated crossings wherever the networks intersect.

A freight motor vehicle shall remain within the Hrossaway and its secured terminal, warehouse, transfer-yard, or service premises. It shall not continue into domestic distribution on an ordinary road. Cargo entering domestic circulation shall be transferred at an approved hub to long-distance rail, equid-drawn freight wagons or teams, or another lawful non-road mode. The Hrossaway exception shall not be enlarged by contract, licence, emergency label, commercial convenience, or claimed necessity into a general motor-road system.

Article 39. National Rail System

The Empire’s mechanised public land transport is limited to long-distance high-speed electric rail operating on dedicated mainline tracks.

The Empire has no metro, underground urban railway, tramway, suburban commuter railway, light rail, local rapid-transit railway, diesel train service, steam train service, or other short-distance urban rail network.

Rail is used for travel between distant regions and principal settlements. Local movement within settlements and between a station and its surrounding district occurs by walking, ridden or led equid, or equid-drawn vehicle.

Article 40. Separation of Road and Rail

High-speed railway corridors shall be physically separated from equid roads, settlements, pastures, and public paths. Public road routes shall cross active high-speed railway lines only by grade-separated bridge or underpass.

No level crossing, road-running rail, shared tramway surface, or mixed rail-and-equid traffic corridor is permitted.

Stations, access roads, loading areas, and service yards shall be designed so that train noise, air movement, vibration, lighting, barriers, crowds, and sudden movement do not create avoidable equid danger.