House: Road Safety Shared Priority for State and Local Authorities

Bratislava, 19 February (TASR) - Road safety is a shared priority of the state and local authorities in terms of protecting people's health and lives, the Parliament Office's communications department told TASR on Thursday, adding that unanimity on the need to adopt an amendment to the Road Traffic Act prevailed at a meeting between Parliamentary Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) and representatives of key local government associations. The participants in the meeting asserted that the main motive for the changes is safety and order in road traffic in towns and municipalities, and not financial gain from fines. "This law is primarily about our citizens and for our citizens. Our common and top priority in approving this proposal is safety and order in towns and municipalities. It isn't about chasing fines through penalties for traffic offences," said Rasi. The main objective of the working meeting was to create space for local governments to present their opinions and comments on the legislative proposal before it's debated at its second reading. According to the Parliament Office, representatives of local government organisations declared their unequivocal support for adopting and advancing this bill to its second reading at the meeting. They also expressed their agreement with the proposed wording of the amendment to the Road Traffic Act, with the proviso that the second reading should provide an opportunity to discuss any technical reservations in detail and fine-tune the legislation into its final, most effective form. "This law isn't being drafted for the sake of the Interior Ministry, but because of the real needs of our towns and municipalities," said head of the House committee for economic affairs Robert Puci (Voice-SD). "I consider it to be necessary to send the law to its second reading, because that's where the right space will be created to address any technical comments so that we can achieve the best possible result," he added. am/df