Wardens will not be giving preferential treatment to certain drivers

WARDENS WILL NOT BE GIVING PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT TO CERTAIN DRIVERS

In the two and a half months since the point system started, there were around 18,000 contraventions for which drivers had points deducted.  The Local Enforcement Agency LESA, while discussing how this system can be perfected, is excluding the option that the system will show any mercy towards certain categories of drivers, as has been proposed by GWU. Meanwhile, the Association of Insurance Companies wants to link the point system with insurance policy premiums.

LESA Director, Elizabeth Vassallo, has refuted the possibility of the point system being more lenient with drivers of commercial vehicles such as those which carry out deliveries to shops. She said that the law is the same for everyone.

The GRTU had appealed to the authorities to revise the point system and consider whether certain drivers who earn their living using their vehicles should be shown more leniency with the point system, before losing their licence.

Ms Vassallo said over the last few days, the regulator sat down with various entities to perfect the system which came into effect last December. Among other things, she mentioned that the timeframe given to owners of vehicles which are used by different drivers to inform the authorities of which driver was responsible for any contraventions caught by a speed camera, has been lengthened from two weeks to 3 weeks. The GRTU, however, is complaining that the system of transferring the points has increased  bureaucracy for business operators.

Meanwhile, the point system has been well received by the Insurance Companies Association, however there needs to be some adjustment, as explained by the Director General, Adrian Galea:

”It is not fair for all drivers to pay the same premium for an insurance policy. There should be a difference between those who have had points taken away and abuse the system regularly, and those who are careful and obey the rules.”

What is being suggested by the Association may be taken into consideration. However, it is understood that LESA needs to see whether it is breaching the data protection act by revealing the points incurred by drivers to the insurance companies.

As reported by Mr Nigel Mifsud on TVM News on February 19th, 2018