XN000022-1986-07-09 — Page 44

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 1986

BECAUSE OF ARBITRARY USE OF THE ORDINANCES, DRIVERS WHO WOULD HAVE INCURRED PENALTY POINTS UNDER THE ROAD TRAFFIC (DRIVING-OFFENCE POINTS) ORDINANCE HAD IN SOME INSTANCES SUFFERED DISQUALIFICATION FOR UP TO 12 MONTHS WITH THE ADDED BURDEN OF AN OBLIGATORY RE-TEST, MR LAI OBSERVED.

SUCH HARSH PENALTIES HAD IN SOME CASES LED TO A LOSS OF LIVELIHOOD, AND UNDOUBTEDLY, SOME DRIVERS HAD SUFFERED UNDULY BECAUSE OF THE DISCREPANCY WITHIN THE LAW, HE SAID.

THEREFORE, IN WELCOMING THE PROPOSED CHANGES TO REMOVE THE ANOMALIES IN THE LAWS, MR LAI SAID HE WISHED TO PLACE ON RECORD HIS CONCERN REGARDING THE INJUSTICE SUFFERED INEVITABLY BY SOME DRIVERS.

ALSO SPEAKING AT THE RESUMED DEBATE OF THE TWO BILLS, THE HON HILTON CHEONG-LEEN SUGGESTED THAT THE ADMINISTRATION SHOULD CONSIDER IN FUTURE TWO REFINEMENTS TO THE SYSTEM OF PENALTIES FOR SPEEDING OFFENCES.

FIRSTLY, IN THE CASE OF DRIVING IN EXCESS OF SPEED LIMIT BY MORE THAN 30 KILOMETRES AND 45 KILOMETRES PER HOUR, THE FIXED PENALTIES SCALE SHOULD BE ESCALATED PROGRESSIVELY, HE SAID.

SECONDLY, IN THE CASE OF HEAVY VEHICLES SUCH AS LORRIES AND BUSES, WHERE SPEEDING COULD BE A MUCH MORE SERIOUS MATTER THAN SPEEDING BY ORDINARY VEHICLES, THE LEVEL OF FIXED PENALTIES FOR THESE HEAVY VEHICLES SHOULD BE ON A HIGHER SCALE, HE ADDED.

THE HON TAM YIU-CHUNG ECHOED MR CHENG'S APPEAL TO THE GOVERNMENT TO GIVE THE BILLS EXTENSIVE PUBLICITY ONCE THEY HAD BEEN PASSED, SO AS TO EDUCATE THE MOTORISTS.

HE ALSO SUGGESTED THAT GOVERNMENT COULD CONSIDER ERECTING CONSPICUOUS WARNING SIGNS ON SOME ROADS TO ADVISE MOTORISTS OF THE NEED TO REDUCE SPEED, SO THAT THEY COULD BE PSYCHOLOGICALLY PREPARED AND PLAY THEIR PART IN A JOINT EFFORT TO SAFEGUARD ROAD SAFETY.

HOWEVER, MR TAM OBSERVED THAT EVEN IF THE BILLS WERE PASSED, PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS MIGHT STILL WORRY ABOUT THE CONTINUED EXISTENCE OF DUAL SYSTEMS, AS THE POLICE COULD PROSECUTE THEM UNDER THE TWO DIFFERENT ORDINANCES.

IN ADDITION, THOSE PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS DISQUALIFIED UNDER THE EXISTING LEGISLATION BECAUSE OF MINOR SPEEDING OFFENCES MIGHT WISH TO REQUEST FOR EXEMPTION FROM THE RE-TEST, HE SAID.

FIRMLY BELIEVING THAT THE ADMINISTRATION HAD THE IMPORTANT RESPONSIBILITY FOR SAFEGUARDING ROAD SAFETY, MR TAM SAID HE AGREED THAT GOVERNMENT SHOULD DEAL SEVERELY WITH THOSE WHO BLATANTLY COMMITTED, SERIOUS SPEEDING OFFENCES.

+AS TO THOSE DISQUAL IF IED UNDER THE DUAL SYSTEMS FOR REPEATED MINOR OFFENCES, THINK GOVERNMENT SHOULD CONSIDER ACCEDING TO THE IR REQUESTS,+ HE SAID,

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