Lawmakers and the government on Thursday managed to find a sweet spot on two ways with which to soften the impact of steep traffic fines on motorists.
The two changes will soon be taken to a session of the House plenary for a vote.
Speaking to journalists, Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades summed up the coming changes. First, the deadline for paying traffic fines will be extended to 90 days, from 30 days currently.
Secondly, motorists will have their driving license suspended once they accumulate 16 penalty points for traffic violations. As it stands now, 12 penalty points is the limit for suspending a license.
Regarding the proposed 90-day period for the payment of fines, if the violator does not pay at the 90 days, he or she will get an extension of an extra 15 days – but an extra charge applies for the extension.
Right now, drivers have 30 days to pay a fine, but are granted an extension of 15 days. However, payment during the extension carries an extra charge of 5 per cent on the amount of the fine. If violators does not pay within the 45 days either, they are taken to court.
Extending the payment period from 30 to 90 days has replaced a previous proposal for letting motorists pay their fines in instalments.
But MPs also rebuked the government for the fact that the fine being charged for going over the pedestrian crossing at traffic lights is still €300. This is despite the fact that three months ago, the House passed a law reducing this fine from €300 to €85.
On this, the transport minister said the company running the traffic cameras system has yet to make the necessary adjustments to its software – and as a result the system continues to charge €300 for the specific violation.
The government has asked the company to ‘fix’ its software, Vafeades added.
Speaking generally, the minister said the government and parliament will continue working together to “come up with a system that maintains the element of deterrence while improving road safety at traffic stops”.
The parliamentary committee will meanwhile keep discussing other related bills tabled by MPs. For example, one bill seeks to write off fines imposed from January 1, 2023 through to May 2024. But the attorney-general’s office has pushed back, saying this would be unconstitutional.
