XN000022-1996-01-10 — Page 67

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The Administration last reviewed the penalties for overloading and other vehicle loading offences in 1994. This resulted in increases in the fixed penalties from $280 to $450 for insecure loading and from $450 to $1000 for overloading. In addition an amendment was made to the Road Traffic (Traffic Control) Regulations to impose strict liability on owners of goods vehicles for overloading offences.

Other measures which the Administration has put in place to prevent overloading and insecure loading of vehicles include:

the installation of additional weighting facilities weighstation was opened in

Tai Lam Chung in early 1995;

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the publication of a Code of Practice on the loading of vehicles and pamphlets to educate and inform the trade about the best way to load a vehicle;

regular meetings between Transport Department and goods vehicle operators at which the message of safe loading is emphasised;

continuous publicity about the danger of such offences; and

the provision of a telephone hotline at Transport Department to encourage the public to report instances of overloading and insecure loading.

The Police have deployed more manpower to tackle the problem of overloading and have stepped up enforcement action since the increase in the fixed penalty for overloading offences. For the eleven-month period from January to November 1995, 24,077 fixed penalty tickets were issued for such offences.

Other

The Administration is continuously monitoring the situation. measures, such as the introduction of demerit points for convictions of vehicle overloading and other loading offences, will be considered.