Drivers are set to face steeper and more targeted fines in October, as parliament is set to vote next week vote on seven bills to introduce the changes.

The simple take-away is that fines are set to increase across the board. In most cases, the fines have been doubled with provisions for even steeper penalties for repeat offences within certain period of time.

The bills are set to pass next week but the new measures will not come into effect until October.

During the intervening two months, authorities will carry out a large-scale information campaign to inform the public of the new measures.

As one MP told the Cyprus Mail: “It’s complex set of changes that will occur and people will have to familiarise themselves with the new measures.”

It appears that there was some haggling over how steep to the fines should be.

It is understood that the justice ministry had lobbied for heftier fines, such as a penalty of €300 for using the phone while driving. The transport committee, however, proposed a fine of €150 which could reach €300 for a repeat offence.

The reasoning behind this, a member of the transport committee told the Cyprus Mail, is that “the fines should be high enough to act as a deterrent but not overly strict so as to bankrupt someone.”

The transport committee and justice ministry also hope to cover some loopholes. Currently, as the MP told the Cyprus Mail, it is cheaper to pay the fine for driving without a licence than it is to buy the licence itself.

The exact details of the new measures are set to be made available shortly as the information campaign begins.

Source: CNA