The government has referred a proposal to increase fines for serious traffic violations to a committee for further review before making a final decision.
The proposal, which targets four specific violations linked to fatal accidents according to traffic police data, was examined by the Road Safety Council alongside plans to establish a driver school for offenders.
The Traffic Department recommended and the Ministry of Justice proposed increasing penalties for violations that evidence shows contribute to deadly road collisions, including failure to wear helmets, mobile phone use while driving, seatbelt non-compliance, and motorcycle licence plate violations.
Under the proposal, fines for not wearing a helmet would increase from €200 to €250 for first offences and from €250 to €500 for repeat offences within three years. Mobile phone use while driving would see penalties rise from €150 to €200, with repeat violations within three years increasing from €300 to €400.
Seatbelt violations would similarly increase from €150 to €200, with repeat offences rising from €300 to €400 within a three-year period. Motorcyclists operating without proper licence plates would face increased fines from €80 to €100 for first offences and €200 for subsequent violations.
The Road Safety Council, chaired by Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades, decided to have a committee examine the matter before adopting or rejecting the recommendations.
Several approaches were discussed during the meeting, including maintaining current penalties for first offences while doubling them for subsequent violations, implementing increases across all offences without subsequent doubling, and potentially combining financial penalties with community service requirements.
The Council also addressed progress on the driver rehabilitation school, legislation for which has been in place since 2018. Justice Minister Hartsiotis informed members that a tender has been issued with a March 28 deadline and has attracted significant interest. Contract awarding is expected in June, with the school anticipated to be operational by year-end.
Additionally, the Council considered reducing speed limits in city centres from the current 50 km/h to 30 km/h, aligning with European Union requirements. The Transport Ministry is conducting a specialised study on this initiative.
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