ANYONE who interferes with a traffic warning issued to an errant motorist who violates any one of 18 offences for having a derelict vehicle will be fined $3,000, stated the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill 2026. The bill will be debated by MPs in the House of Representatives on January 16. Attorney General John Jeremie will present it.

The list of offences, as recently presented by Transport Minister Eli Zakour, include not having identification lights at night, not printing the number of passengers allowable in a taxi or having a smoky or noisy vehicle. If an errant driver is noted by the police, the law then gives him/her a grace period of three working days to fix a defect for most offences such as the first two listed, or seven days to fix either of the latter two. A constable meanwhile will affix to the vehicle a written notice recording details of the offence and known as a fixed penalty warning. This can be removed from display only once the driver notifies the police that he has complied and fixed the defect.

The bill's explanatory note warns of the fine for a breach. "Only the driver, someone under the driver’s authority or the person liable for the traffic violation shall remove the fixed penalty warning that is affixed to a vehicle. "A person who contravenes subsection is liable on summary conviction to a fine of $3,000."