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TAC endorses driving-offence points for traffic offences in tunnels
The Transport Advisory Committee (TAC) today (Tuesday) endorsed a proposal to extend the penalty of driving-offence points to cover speeding and crossing double white lines offences in tunnels.
The Road Traffic (Driving-Offence Points) Ordinance sets out in its Schedule the number of driving-offence points that may be recorded in relation to various road. traffic offences. Offences of speeding are liable to three, five or eight driving-offence points, depending on the driving speed in excess of the speed limit, and offences of crossing double white lines to three driving-offence points.
However, similar offences within a tunnel area are at present prosecuted under the relevant tunnel ordinance and are not included in the Schedule of the Road Safety (Driving-Offence Points) Ordinance. Hence, offenders are not liable to incur driving- offence points.
In the last three years, a significant number of such offences occurred within tunnel area as follows:-
Speeding
740
Crossing double white lines
1994
1995
1996
1,360 2,110
610
280
410
To remove this anomaly, the TAC endorsed the Government's proposal to amend the Schedule of the Road Traffic (Driving-Offence Points) Ordinance to include offences of speeding and crossing double white lines committed in all private and government tunnels so that they would equally incur driving-offence points.
The private tunnels include the Cross-Harbour Tunnel, Eastern Harbour Crossing, Tate's Cairn Tunnel and Western Harbour Crossing while the Government tunnels are the Aberdeen Tunnel, Lion Rock Tunnel, Airport Tunnel, Shing Mun Tunnels, Tseung Kwan O Tunnel and Tsing Ma Control Area.
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