New regulations amending the Motor Vehicles Regulations, just published in the Government Gazette, provide for the wearing of a helmet by drivers and passengers of quadricycles, including quad bikes.

Quadricycles are defined in the regulations as four-wheeled motor cycles whose unladen mass is not more than 400kg, not including the mass of batteries in the case of electric vehicles, whose maximum speed net engine power does not exceed 15 kW.

Th riders of quad bikes, the number of which has increased considerably over the past year, are now prohibited by law from riding such vehicles on the road without wearing a helmet.

Tinted windows

For the first time, a new regulation provides for the amount of light to be transmitted through tinted windows in motor vehicles. It provides for a minimum of 75 per cent of light to be transmitted through a windscreen and a minimum of 50 per cent light transmission through the rear windows if the vehicle is equipped with rear view mirrors. Exemptions are being provided for on medical grounds.

Bus lanes

The use of what have up to now been referred to as “bus lanes” is affected by another amendment. These will now be known as “priority vehicle lanes” and can be used by public transport vehicles, karrozzini, bicycles, motorcycles and heavy goods vehicles whose permissible maximum weight exceeds 7.5 tonnes, as well as other priority vehicles such as ambulances, police cars and fire-engines.

Garages

Another regulation has been amended in order to ensure that only garages that are being used for the garaging of motor vehicles are marked as such and to also ensure that road markings near or opposite garages may only be made with the approval of the Transport Authority.

Mobile phones

New regulations concerning the use of mobile phones clearly prohibit a person from driving a motor vehicle on a road while using a hand-held mobile telephone or similar device, but allows the use of a hands-free device.

Other important amendments provide for stricter rules when certain vehicles are used to transport schoolchildren.