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The Road Traffic (Driving-offence Points) (Amendment) Bill 2009 will be published in the Gazette on Friday (January 23).
"The main objective of the bill is to improve the existing mechanism in the serving of summons under the Driving-offence Points system," a government spokesman said today (January 20).
Legislative amendments are proposed to deem summons to have been served if it is served on a person by registered post at the person's address shown in the record of the driving licence kept by the Transport Department, even if it is returned undelivered to the person.
"Some drivers who have accumulated 15 or more driving-offence points within two years and should have been disqualified from driving have tried to circumvent the system by avoiding receiving summonses and hence the disqualification proceedings. The 'deemed served' provision will allow the triggering of the mechanism to bring a person before a magistrate to go through the disqualification proceedings," the spokesman said.
"Legislative amendments are also proposed to require the Commissioner for Transport not to issue or renew a driving licence to a person who has failed to appear in court to answer the summons served to him under the Driving-offence Points system," added the spokesman.
The proposed legislative amendments are supported by the Transport Advisory Committee and the Transport Panel of the Legislative Council.
The bill will be introduced into the Legislative Council on February 4.
Ends/Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Issued at HKT 14:47
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