On 19 September 1949, in Geneva, the UN Conference on Road and Motor Transport adopts and opens for signature the Convention on Road Traffic — the multilateral treaty establishing uniform rules for international road traffic.

The convention regulates registration plates, distinctive country signs (the elliptical oval), minimum safety equipment and International Driving Permits (annexes 9–10). Between parties it replaces the 1926 conventions.

The depositary is the UN Secretary-General. Entry into force: 26 March 1952. Over 100 parties. The text appears in UNTS vol. 125 (No. 1671).

The same conference also produced the Protocol on Road Signs and Signals. The 1968 Vienna Convention replaces it between parties to the newer instrument.

For road-traffic law, 19 September 1949 marks the Geneva signature.

The document is available in the UN Treaty Collection.

The Geneva Convention on Road Traffic of 19 September 1949 remains the pre-Vienna milestone of international road traffic.

Image: Geneva / traffic; Wikimedia Commons. Cropped to 16:9.

Source consulted: Geneva Convention on Road Traffic. Treaty text: UN Treaty Collection — Convention on Road Traffic.