BILL TO PROTECT 'Z' CAR COMPANIES OVER OUT-OF-COURT FINES LEFT PENDING

 in-cyprus 2 September 2020 - by Maria Bitar

A new bill is under public discussion providing that settlement of out-of-court fines for traffic violations committed by tourists/drivers of rental cars will be their own responsibility.

And that a provision is there to protect the company which rents out the ‘Z’ car in the case where the fine is not paid promptly by the one who got it.

The Ministry of Transport’s draft bill was sent to the Legal Service last May and its final version has been completed recently, according to Philenews.

The basic provision of the bill is that the responsibility for out-of-court fines received while driving “Z” vehicles will be borne by the driver/tourist, but if they don’t pay the fine on time, then the responsibility is transferred to the rental company who owns the vehicle.

Thus, each “Z” rental company, will have to bind its customer in a way that ensures the timely settlement of the out-of-court fine.

In other countries, the most common practice is for rental companies to bind their customers by holding an amount through their credit cards for a reasonable period of time.

Thus, a clear message is given to tourists that they will not “escape” fines.

At the same time, it increases road safety and the responsibility of tourists/drivers.

According to data, there are about 25,000 pending cases of out of court fines for traffic violations of tourists with all types of “Z” vehicles like cars, motorcycles, quads etc.