New transport fines are set to come into force through a Legal Notice in the coming weeks after they were approved by Cabinet, the government has said.
Among the changes, the fine for a person found guilty of driving through a red light will increase from €100 to €200.Another change, would see the fine for driving through a no entry sign rise from €46.59 to €75.
Speeding over 15 km/h over the speed limit will see the fine increase from €69.88 to €100.
Fines for driving a vehicle carrying iron rods or nets which are not properly secured will increase from 116.47 to €200 .
Fines for the non-usage of a tailboard, overloading or spillage are set to increase from the current € 46.69, to not less than €250 but not more than €500.
Overloading of passengers will increase from €11.65 to €50 (for each other passenger).
Fines regarding the use of a vehicle for a purpose other than licensed is set to increase drastically from €34.95 to €200.
Additionally as predicted, the use of mobile phones, earphones or over-ear headphones "in the ear facing the window and while stationary", will be increased to €200 or €300 (depending on the vehicle) from the current €100.
The points penalty system for licenses will also see some changes, as the use of mobile phone will have its parameters increased from 3-6 points to 6-9 points. Additionally the use headphones while also see an increase from 3-6 points to 6-9 points.
In terms of obstructions, changes were done to legislative wording, whilst the fines remained the same.
The government has been working over the last few weeks to carry out a comprehensive plan to increase road safety.
"Education and information campaigns will be intensified, as will the deterrent for contraventions that studies show to cause many accidents. In the same way, to ensure that the deterrent doesn't only remain on paper, it is also necessary to empower the enforcement department with all the tools it needs. Despite the fact that enforcement has ramped up in our roads, we are still seeing some serious shortcomings. This is the reason we are increasing the deterrent by increasing fines and increasing point deductions," said Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia.
During the conference a number of announcements were made, including that there was an increase in operations throughout 2022, with 24,500 fines being issued; Four additional motorbikes for enforcement personnel were also bought through an investment of €120,000, bringing the total number to 14; More training for enforcement officers took place during the past few months.
Present for the press conference were also Transport Malta CEO Brigadier Jeffrey Curmi and Land Transport directorate at Transport Malta Chief Officer Pierre Montebello.
Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia said that: "With our country undergoing demographic changes and our lifestyles moving at an increasingly faster pace, our roads bear the heavy brunt of these developments. We are not shying away from these challenges - which, after all, reflect similar realities in other countries. We are doing this through the application of engineering, road design, education, and increased enforcement; the latter of which would serve as a deterrent for those who, up until recently, may have felt that abuse is part of the status quo".
