Maltese drivers caught ignoring traffic regulations in another EU member state while driving their own car will no longer be able to avoid paying fines as is the norm at present.

Following agreement by the European Parliament's Transport Committee yesterday in Brussels, EU member states will now be responsible for ensuring that their registered drivers pay traffic fines issued in other member states.

Following proposals submitted by the European Commission last year, aimed at making European roads safer, the European Parliament's Transport Committee unanimously approved the legislation putting in place a new system whereby drivers will be identified and fined for offences they commit anywhere in the EU.

The new rules cover specific offences such as speeding, drink-driving, failing to wear a seat belt and jumping a red light.

EU member states will have to establish an electronic system for exchange of information on offences committed. The vehicle registration number and other personal data will be transmitted to be checked once an offence is spotted.

After this verification by the member states where the vehicle is registered, the relevant national authority, the transport authority in Malta's case, will send an offence notification to the owner of the vehicle demanding payment of the fine.

The legislation includes provisions for drivers who keep ignoring such notifications. In fact, the notification should also inform the licence holder that, if he refuses to pay, his refusal will be communicated to the authorities of his member states for enforcement. Such enforcement will be governed by law in the same ways as for similar fines within the home member state.

The Transport Committee agreed that the new measures will contribute towards more safety on EU roads.

The EU has set itself the ambitious task of cutting by 50 per cent the number of persons who die on the roads by 2010.