Parliament has voted in favour of the second reading of a bill that will introduce harsher traffic fines and penalties.

Transport Minister Farrugia expressed his satisfaction that there was support from both sides of the House.

Among the new fines that were announced earlier this year, the fine for driving through a no-entry sign rise from €46.59 to €75 and speeding over 15 km/h over the speed limit will see the fine increase from €69.88 to €100 and fines regarding the use of a vehicle for a purpose other than licensed is set to increase drastically from €34.95 to €200.

The bill also includes the introduction of a new Transport Safety Investigations Commissioner which will be tasked with investigating fatal road accidents.

Farrugia also spoke about developing a new culture which would see fewer people using their own cars and instead using public transportation, e-scooters, and various other alternate means of transport.

The vote was on the second reading of the bill, meaning that the amendments have not become law yet.

It will now go to parliamentary committee stages where changes can be made before returning to the House for a final vote.