Drivers can pay a fine and avoid court

People caught committing certain road traffic offences will now be offered the opportunity to avoid a trip to court by paying a £100 fixed penalty notice instead.
This comes after the Gibraltar Government, working in partnership with the Royal Gibraltar Police, recently enacted legislative changes to the Traffic Act 2005.
For more serious breaches of the offences in question, police will still retain the power to summons the offender to court, as was the case previously.
But, the Government explained that by allowing RGP officers and authorised people to issue fixed penalty notices for these offences, court time will be reduced.
A police officer or an authorised person can issue a fixed penalty notice to the driver of a motor vehicle committing a moving traffic offence.
A ‘fixed penalty notice’ is a notice offering the person issued with it, the opportunity of discharging the liability of having to attend court to answer for the offence for which the notice is issued by paying a fixed penalty of £100.
Payment of the fixed penalty is required within 28 days from the date of issue.
Failure to pay the fixed penalty will render the offender liable to prosecution and a court summons will be sent.
In a statement the Government highlighted how under the banner of Operation Roadwatch, the RGP are constantly working to improve road safety on our roads for the benefit of all the community.
Amongst the many strands of this road safety strategy, is the daily enforcement of a number of road traffic offences, which by their nature are capable of generating danger to other road users by their non-observance.
Offences for which police officers will now be able to issue a fixed penalty notice include speeding, using a mobile phone whilst driving and failing to wear a seat belt which applies to both drivers and passengers.
The changes also apply to offences such as motorcyclists not wearing a protective helmet or not having it properly fastened, the driver carrying an unbelted child under the age of 14 and the driver carrying a child under 135cm in height without proper restraint.
Overtaking traffic other than on the left, contravening a traffic light or traffic sign, driving against the flow of traffic, failing to indicate intention to turn and an inefficient/defective exhaust or excessive exhaust noise are also included in the changes.