The House Transport Committee on Thursday discussed the possibility of reducing the time required for driving licence penalty points to expire, with the timeframe possibility set to be reduced from three years to two.

Disy MP Nikos Tornaritis said “the reasons for the proposal are well known and they have been well explained.”

He added, “since the implementation of traffic cameras, there has been an avalanche of penalties imposed and many people have found themselves hauled before the courts.”

“The aim of this proposal is to strengthen issues related to road awareness and road safety. We should not create legislation which sets traps for the public, and the current legal state of affairs will be if it is not revised,” he said.

He therefore said he supports the reduction of time required for driving licence penalty points to expire, adding, “I am happy to tell you that all those invited to this committee meeting, the relevant ministry, the police, the department dealing with road safety, the Bar association, and the prosecutor’s office, have all independently supported this proposal.”

To this end, he said it will be taken to the house’s plenum “as soon as possible” and before the Christmas holidays “to make it law as soon as possible”.

Akel MP Valentinos Fakontis said the bill is “moving in the right direction” and does not create “discounts” in matters regarding road safety.

He concurred with Tornaritis’ opinion on the impact of traffic cameras, saying “many drivers have had their licences loaded up with penalty points and are at risk of losing them.”

To this end, he added that “traffic cameras should be a measure of prevention [of crimes] and protection of road users and should not be used by the government as a tax collection exercise.”