THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 1986
AMENDMENTS PROPOSED TO DEAL WITH SPEEDING
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THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL HAS GIVEN THE GO-AHEAD FOR AMENDING THE LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK FOR DEALING WITH SPEEDING OFFENCES SO THAT OFFENDERS WILL BE DEALT WITH ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY BY THE FIXED PENALTY SYSTEM RATHER THAN BY COURT PROCEEDINGS.
THE ROAD TRAFFIC (AMENDMENT) (NO. 2) BILL 1986 HAS PROPOSED THAT THE SECTION IN THE ORDINANCE PROVIDING FOR MANDATORY DISQUALIFICATION FOR SPEEDING OFFENCES SHOULD BE REPEALED. NEVERTHELESS, THE COURT WILL RETAIN DISCRETIONARY POWER TO DISQUALIFY ANY DRIVER CONVICTED OF SPEEDING. BUT WHERE DISQUALIFICATION IS ORDERED BY THE COURT IT WILL APPLY TO ALL TYPES OF DRIVING LICENCES HELD BY THE CONVICTED DRIVER.
ANOTHER PROPOSAL OF THE BILL IS TO REPEAL MANDATORY RETESTS AFTER DISQUALIFICATION. HOWEVER, THE COURT WILL HAVE THE DISCRETIONARY POWER TO ORDER A RÉTEST FOLLOWING DISQUALIFICATION IF IT DOUBTS THE COMPETENCE OF THE CONVICTED DRIVER.
AT PRESENT, A SPEEDING DRIVER MAY EITHER BE DEALT WITH BY THE FIXED PENALTY SYSTEM OR PROSECUTED UNDER THE ROAD TRAFFIC ORDINANCE WHICH STIPULATES THAT THREE SPEEDING CONVICTIONS OF WHICH THE LAST TWO WERE WITHIN THREE YEARS OF EACH OTHER WILL RESULT IN MANDATORY DISQUALIFICATION FOR AT LEAST 12 MONTHS.
THE ORDINANCE STIPULATES MANDATORY RETEST ORDERS FOR DRIVERS DISQUALIFIED FOR SIX MONTHS OR MORE.
THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL HAS ALSO ENDORSED A PROPOSAL TO ADOPT AN ESCALATING DRIVING-OFFENCE POINTS SYSTEM FOR SPEEDING OFFENCES.
UNDER THE ROAD TRAFFIC (DRIVING-OFFENCE POINTS) (AMENDMENT) BILL 1986, A DRIVER WILL INCUR THREE POINTS FOR EXCEEDING THE SPEED LIMIT BY MORE THAN 15 KILOMETRES PER HOUR, FIVE POINTS FOR EXCEEDING THE SPEED LIMIT BY MORE THAN 30 KILOMETRES PER HOUR AND EIGHT POINTS FOR EXCEEDING THE SPEED LIMIT BY 45 KILOMETRES PER HOUR. HOWEVER, THE FIXED PENALTY IS THE SAME AS THAT WHICH EXISTS - $200.
AT PRESENT, A DRIVER CAUGHT EXCEEDING THE SPEED LIMIT BY 15 KILOMETRES PER HOUR INCURS THREE DRIVING-OFFENCE POINTS. ANYONE WHO HAS ACCUMULATED 15 OR MORE POINTS IN TWO YEARS WILL BE DISQUALIFIED FROM HOLDING OR OBTAINING A DRIVING LICENCE.
THE AMENDMENT