Heavier penalties for phone use, no seat belt when driving

Lam Hin San

The Transport Bureau (DSAT) has proposed a public consultation on the amendment of the road traffic law.

According to DSAT Director Lam Hin San, the amendment includes a review on the penalties for traffic infractions, although DSAT does not have any direct suggestions regarding the penalty changes.

The DSAT director also revealed that there are bus drivers proposing to increase the penalty for people who illegally park at bus stops.

Lam also reported that the maximum number of bus passengers on a single day has exceeded 710,00, and that the number of bus passengers in January increased by 5 percent compared to the same period last year with an average number of 610,000 passengers per day.

In 2018, the number of cars recorded a negative growth of 0.2 percent. By comparison, 2017 recorded a negative growth of 3.6 percent, in comparison to an increase of 0.6 percent in 2016. 

Lam also noted that the DSAT will seek to rectify five traffic black spots in 2019.

The amendment consultation text proposes to introduce a number of measures, including mandatory use of seat belts for rear-seat passengers, heavy-duty vehicle drivers and front-seat passengers, and a mandatory installation of seat belts for vehicles that transport school children. It has also been proposed that school children should mandatorily wear seat belts.

The consultation text further proposes to introduce vehicle idling requirements, recommending that heavy-duty truck drivers not be able to use mobile phones to talk while driving, even if the phone is on speaker.

It also proposes that while driving, drivers are prohibited from operating or watching video equipment installed in the front row of the vehicle.

Moreover, the amendment proposes to increase the punishment for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs from the current maximum of one years’ imprisonment and three years’ license suspension to a maximum of two years’ imprisonment, a fine of MOP90,000, and being banned from driving for four years.

The amendment also recommends to introduce a recidivism system, with penalties for repeat offenders proposed to be a maximum of three years in prison, or a fine of MOP150,000 and no driving for five years.

Drunk driving, which is considered a minor offence, is recommended to be upgraded to a maximum fine of MOP60,000 in addition to a ban on driving for two years.

Recidivism of drunk driving has been proposed to incur a maximum of a MOP90,000 fine and ban on driving for four years.

The amendment suggested the introduction of a recidivism system for a variety of minor violations. Under this system, if a drunk driving scenario occurs within two years of a previous one, then it will be regarded recidivism. JZ