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WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 1983
HOWEVER, HE WARNED THAT THE POINTS SYSTEM INCLUDING SOME OFFENCES WHICH COULD BE DEALT WITH BY FIXED PENALTY TICKETS, MIGHT RESULT IN INCREASED WORK FOR THE JUDICIARY.
+PEOPLE WHO CURRENTLY PAY FIXED PENALTY TICKETS AND THUS ADMIT GUILT OF AN OFFENCE, MAY BE MORE INCLINED IN FUTURE TO CONTEST THE CASE IN COURT, HE SAID.
ON ANOTHER +DOUBLE OR MULTIPLE PENALTY+ ASPECT OF THE BILL, MR CHEN SAID THAT THE AMENDMENT TO CLAUSE 8 NOW CLARIFIED THE POSITION THAT WHEN CALCULATING POINTS FOR THE PURPOSES OF DISQUALIFICATION, THE MAGISTRATE MIGHT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT ONLY ONE OF THOSE +MULTIPLE OFFENCES+.
UNLESS THE OFFENCES WERE OF THE SAME POINT LEVEL, ONLY THE OFFENCE CARRYING THE HIGHEST POINTS WOULD BE COUNTED.
ON THE +THORNY QUESTION OF CARELESS DRIVING+, MR CHEN SAID THE GROUP WAS ASSURED BY THE ADMINISTRATION THAT ADEQUATE SAFEGUARDS EXISTED TO ENSURE THAT A PROSECUTION OF CARELESS DRIVING+ WAS ONLY BROUGHT AFTER CAREFUL SCRUTINY OF THE FACTS OF THE CASE BY SENIOR POLICE OFFICERS AND BY THEIR LEGAL ADVISERS.
TURNING TO THE SCHEDULE, HE SAID THE SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT IN HIS SPEECH ON APRIL 13 SAID THAT THE 16 OFFENCES PROPOSED WERE ALL CAREFULLY SELECTED AS HAVING DIRECT BEARING ON ROAD SAFETY.
HE SAID UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS FOUND IT A LITTLE DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND THE LOGIC FOR INCLUDING ITEMS 7 TO 11 AND 16 WHICH HAD NO DIRECT BEARING ON ROAD SAFETY AND HAD ADDITIONALLY SOUGHT TO DOWNGRADE THREE OFFENCES IN THE SCHEDULE WHICH APPEARED TO BE RELATIVELY LESS SERIOUS.
MR CHEN SAID AMENDMENT TO EFFECT THESE CHANGES WOULD BE PUT FORWARD DURING THE COMMITTEE STAGE OF THE BILL.
ON THE ITEM OF +GIVING PRECEDENCE TO PEDESTRIANS ON A ZEBRA CROSSING OF THE SCHEDULE, HE SAID HONG KONG'S ROADS AND PAVEMENTS WERE EXTREMELY CONGESTED AND IN MANY WIDE AND UNCONTROLLED CROSSING, DRIVERS MIGHT HAVE TO WAIT ALL DAY TO CROSS PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS IN OBEDIENCE WITH THE LETTER OF THE LAW.
MR CHEN SOUGHT ASSURANCE FROM THE ADMINISTRATION THAT THIS
PARTICULAR OFFENCE SHOULD BE TREATED WITH COMMONSENSE.
MR CHEN SAID: +AFTER MANY HOURS OF CONSULTATION BETWEEN THE ADMINISTRATION AND THE UNOFFICIALS, SUBSTANTIAL AMENDMENTS HAVE NOW BEEN PROPOSED TO THE BILL.
+WE ARE, HOWEVER, CONSCIOUS OF THE FACT THAT IN DEALING WITH A PIECE OF LEGISLATION OF THIS NATURE WE CANNOT POSSIBLY PLEASE EVERYONE.
+FOR SOME, THE AMENDED BILL WILL APPEAR TO HAVE ITS CLAWS DRAWN- FOR OTHERS, IT MAY STILL SEEM UNDULY HARSH.
+ IN OUR EXAMINATION OF THE BILL. WE TOOK PAINS TO FIND AN EQUITABLE BALANCE BETWEEN THE APPARENTLY CONFLICTING INTERESTS OF THE VARIOUS GROUPS OF PEOPLE WHO USE THE ROAD. ULTIMATELY, ROAD SAFETY IS IN EVERYONE'S INTEREST.+
DEBATE ON THE BILL WAS FURTHER ADJOURNED.