Motorists to be fined €200 for using mobile phone while driving

Using a mobile phone while driving your car will cost you a €200 fine and if caught twice committing the same offence your driving licence will be temporarily revoked.

The fine for mobile phone use while driving currently stands at €100 and incurs between three and six penalty points. Under the new regime, the penalty points will increase to between six and nine. Mobile phone use includes the wearing of earphones or over-ear headphones in the ear towards the side of the window while standing or in traffic.

Using a mobile phone while driving a moped, motorbike or scooter will incur a €200 fine.

The existing system means that drivers may have their licence revoked temporarily if they accumulate 12 penalty points over a period of 12 months.

On Friday, Transport Malta unveiled heftier fines and penalties for a host of traffic offences.

Other fines

Those caught running a red light and failing to secure their cargo will each face a €200 fine, while driving on the wrong side of a one-way street will cost €75. The fine for excessive speeding will increase to €100 from €69.88.

Motorists who carry more passengers than their car is insured for will be fined €50 for every additional passenger, while the fine for operating a vehicle for a purpose other than its licence has been increased to €200 from €34.94.

The only fines that have not been changed are those for obstructing traffic or blocking roads, which remain at €104.82.

24,500 fines and 26 victims, 2022 “see some serious shortcomings,” Aaron Farrugia says

Despite enforcement being ramped up on our roads, Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia explained, “we are still seeing some serious shortcomings.”

"This had led to the increase in fines and point deductions,” Minister Aaron Farrugia stated. 

When addressing a press conference on Friday, Farrugia also announced four new motorbikes for enforcement officers, more training to enforcement officers and improved road safety.

During the conference, it was also explained, that in 2022 Roadside Inspections also increased in Malta and Gozo. Several Joint Roadside Inspections were also carried out together with other entities. 

This increase in operations led to a total of 24,500 fines being issued during 2022, and 607 vehicles were not in compliance with traffic regulations.

Present for this press conference were the Chief Executive of Transport Malta Brigadier Jeffrey Curmi, the Director for Enforcement within the Authority Patrick Pollacco, and the Chief Officer for Land Transport Pierre Montebello.