100 cars fail SMS emissions test

A total of 219 vehicles have been tested in response to the Malta Transport Authority's SMS emissions alert initiative - and nearly half have failed.

The ADT said that in just over a month it received 15,000 reports of vehicles belching smoke.

Testing on vehicles began on September 2 with the tests being carried out three times a week by a purposely set-up team made up of enforcement officers and police.

Forty-five per cent of the vehicles tested were found to have emissions over the stipulated limit. Although the others passed the test, many admitted that they had made adjustments to their engines when they realised their vehicles were being called in for testing, an ADT spokesman said.

No less than 20 per cent of the reports were related to public transport buses, notorious for trailing black exhaust.

Another 600 vehicles will be called in for testing over the coming weeks.

Under the initiative, members of the public have been urged to forward a text message to the ADT with the licence number of a vehicle emitting excessive exhaust fumes.

The aim, the ADT said, was to increase awareness on the negative impact of high emissions on health and the environment, to increase enforcement by involving the public and to reduce the number of vehicles on the road with emissions exceeding the standards stipulated by law.

For a vehicle to be called for testing, the ADT has to receive various SMS reports about it from different mobile numbers. Once the reports have been filed, the ADT informs the vehicle owner to take the vehicle in for inspection at the Licensing and Testing Directorate within three working days. The vehicle is then subjected to an on-the-spot emissions test using specialised equipment.

If the vehicle fails the test, the owner is handed a Lm20 fine and will be obliged to have the emissions problem fixed. The owner will then be required to return to the authority within a week, with the emission problem fixed.

Should the vehicle fail the emissions test again, a restriction will be placed on the vehicle's record so that the vehicle road licence will not be renewed unless the enforcement section certifies the emissions problem solved and all relevant fines settled.

Notices for the tests are being sent in accordance with Regulation 120 of the Motor Vehicle Regulations. Failure by the registered owner to submit his vehicle for testing will result in the suspension of the road licence.

The ADT thanked the public for the degree of civic responsibility, co-operation and support it has shown.

The number to call is 5061 1899.