Transport officials plan to adopt new offense to tackle abandoned cars

Transport officials said they have come up with a way to tackle abandoned cars.

At present, a vehicle's registration is automatically canceled if it hasn't had a valid license for two years. The person whose name the vehicle is registered under can then no longer be held liable for anything related to it.

"Some irresponsible owners take advantage of this arrangement and abandon their unwanted vehicles on public roads and public back alleys, causing environmental hygiene and congestion issues," the Transport and Logistics Bureau says in a paper to Legco.

The bureau is proposing a change to road traffic regulations to address the issue. This change will remove the automatic cancellation of a vehicle's registration and allow officials to notify owners after two years, giving them three months to either renew their license or take any necessary steps to de-register the vehicle.

Options for de-registration include having the vehicle scrapped, or shipping it out of Hong Kong.

The bureau is proposing fines of up to HK$10,000 and prison terms of up to three months for people who ignore the notices, with a subsequent conviction for the same offense leading to fines of up to HK$25,000 and jail terms as long as six months.

If the fines go unpaid, the authorities would refuse to issue or renew the offender's driving license or to license any vehicle in their name.

The bureau said a commencement date for the proposed new offense is expected to be fixed by notice in the Gazette in the fourth quarter of next year.

Wesley Wan, honorary life president of the Hong Kong Automobile Association, told RTHK he welcomes the proposed changes, saying they could put a stop to vehicles being dumped.

"They will impose a penalty which is more expensive than scrapping the car. So I think that's a good way to avoid people abandoning a car after the license expires," he said.

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