196 tal-1997

L.N. 196 of 1997

ENVIRONMENT PROTECTIO N ACT. 1991

(ACT NO. V OF 1991)

Molor Vehicles (Orrroading) Regulations, 1997

BY virtue of the powers conferred by sections 6, 48 and 49 of the

Environment Protection Act. 1991, the Deputy Prime Ministcr and

MinisterofForcign Affairsand the Environment has made the following

regulations:-

I. These regu lat ions may be cited as the Motor Vehicles C;u,iooI.

(Offroading) Regulations. 1997.

I~.

In these regulations. unless the context otherwise rcquires:-

"Act" means the Environment Protection Act;

"Depanment" means the Department for the Protection of

the Environment under the guidance ofttle Director as defined in

these regulations

"Director" means the Director for the Protection of the

Environment being the official as delegated in tenos of paragraph

(b) of section 3 of the Act to be respons ible for the protection of

the environment. and delegated for the control, direction and

management of the Department, and includes any officer in the

Depanment who actS on his behalf. and for the purposes of any

regulations made under the Act, the teno " Director responsible

H

for the environment or any similar leno, and the lenD "Official

responsible forthe protection of tile environment" in the Act.shall

be deemed to have the same meani ng as Director in these

regulations

"invalid carriage" means any motor vehicle which is specially

designed and conStructed, or efficiently adapted. for the use of a

perso n suffering from some physical defect or disability and is

used solely by such person;

" MiniSter" means the Mini ster res ponsible for the

environment

"motor vehicle" means any vehicle whcther propelled by

mechanical power or othcrwise. but excluding an invalid camage

"offmading" means any type of driving. manoeuvrin g or

parking with a motor vehicle not on a road. except for the purpose

of agriculture, maintenallce of services andlor public works. or of

law enforcement and the keeping of good order

"offroading event" means any kind of training. racing or

rallying of an offroading type by a motor vehicle which are

organized by any person, or by a society or body of persons;

"offroading site" means any of the places which saving any

other authoriUltion , pennil or licence required according to law ,is

authorized in writing by the Department to be used for of(mading;

"person" includes any person or body ofpersoos ..... ho acl eilher

individuall y .or according to Ihe instructions of an employer ,owner

or proprietor with an aim of a sporting event;

"road" means any road or street ,lane, square or other place

of public thoroughfare.

( I) No person may drive any motor vehicle in. participate

in or organize any offroading or offroading event otherthan in a locality

which is marked as an offroading site by means of signs approved under

the Traffic Signs and Carriageway Markings Regulations, 1969.

(2) For the purpose of the holding of an offroading event

by any person.or by a society or body of persons. a pennit is required

to be issued by the Director to such person, socielY or body of persons

in which the re shall be indicated a limited period and a specific locality.

Subject to alllhe provisions of the Motor Vehicles Insurance

(Third.party Risks) Ordinance. it shall nOl be lawful for any person to

use or to cause or pennil any other person to use a mOlor vehicle for

offroading unless, in relation to the lise of the vehicle by thaI person or

lhat other person. as the case may be. lhere is in force a policy of

insurance in respect of their·party risks which covers any kind of

offroading or offroading even!.

s.

Any person:-

(1)

(a) who fails 10 com ply wilh an y provision of these

regulations , or with any order lawfully given in terms of any

provision of these re gUlations. or

(b) who contravenes an y re stri ctio n , pro hibition o r

requi remen t imposed by or unde r these regulat ions, or

(c) who acts in cont rave nti on of any provision of these

regulat ions, or

(d) who conspires or at tempts to cons pi re, aids or att em pts

to aid, abets or attempts to abet , cou nsels or attempts to counsel,

procures or attempts to procure any other person to co ntfllvene the

provisions oflhese regulations, or to fail to comply with any such

provisio n, incl uding any orde r lawfully give R in terms o f any

provisioR of these regul ations, or to contra vene any restrictions,

pro hi bi tio ns or require me nt imposed by or under the said

regulati ons,

shall be guil ty of an offence against these regu lations.

(2) An y person who commits, or attempts to commit an

offence against these regulations shall be liable

(a) on a first co nv iction, to a fine (mulru) of not less than

Lm50 by not: exceeding Lm500;

(b) on a second or subsequent conviction , to a fine (mufta)

o f not less t han Lml OO but no t e xceeding Lmi,OOO, or to

imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years,or to both such

fine and imprisonment

Sohowe ve r that the Coun may. in addition to the penalty imposed,

order a perso n who has been co nvicted of an o ffence under these

regulations to pay the e xpe nses incurred by the Director resul ting from

the conlravention of these regulati ons, and also the revocation of the

permit issued by the Director

Sohowever further that any person who permits the contravention

of these regulations by means of a mot:or vehicle registered in his own

name, shall also be considered to be guilty of an offence against these

regulations.

(3) The provisions of secti ons 23 and of subsecti on (I) of

section 30 of the Criminal Code shall mutatis mutandis apply to cop.~ .

proceedings in respect of offences against these reg ulations, sohoweve r

that the disqualification from holding or obtaining. for suc h time as the

coun deems fit. a driving licence or a permit issued by the Di rector,

shall in no case be for less than one year.

(4 ) N()( withSl:mdi ng the provisions o f section 370 of the

Crim inal Code, proceedings for an oITence agai nst these regul ations

shall be t:lken before the Coun of M:lgislrates (r"'13lta) or the Coun of

Magistrates (Gozo). as the case may be. and shall be in accordance

with the provisions of the Criminal Code regulating the proced ure before

the said couns as couns o f criminal judicature.

(5) NotlYi thst:lnding the provisions o f the Criminal Code,

the Allorney General shall always have a ri gh t of appeal to the Coun of

Criminal Appelll from any judgement given by the Coun of MagiSlrllles

(Malta) or the Cou n of Magistrates (ColO) in respect of proceedings

for nny offence agai nst lhese regulations.

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Priu&

(I)

Kul1 persuna

(a) Ii tonqos Ii tosserva xi dispoi:izzjo ni ta' dawn ir·

regolameOli jew la' xi oroni oh m legitlimamenl moghlija bis-sahl\a

ta' xi dispoiizzjoni taO dawn ir-regolamcnti,jew

(b) Ii tikse r xi restrizl.joni, projbizzjoni jew hliega imposta

minlljew bis-sahha ta' dawli ir. rcgolamenli,jew

Ii lagiui bi ksur ta' xi dispoiizljoni la ' dawn Ir-

(i:)

regolamenti ,jew

(d) Ii tiftiehem jew tipprova tiftiehcm, tghill jew tipprova

tghin , thajjar jew tipprova thajjar, taghti parir jew tipprova taghti

parir, tqabbad jew tipprova tqabbad iii xi persuna ohra biex tikser

id-dispoiiujonijiet la' dawn ir-regolamenti,jew biex tonqos milli

tikkonforma rna' xi wahda minn daw n id-dispozil.zjonijiel, inkluii

xi oroni legillimament moghtija bis-sahha ta' xi dispoiin;joni ta'

dawn ir-regolamenti,jew biex tikser xi restri zzjoni, projbil.zjoni

jew htiega imposti minn dawn ir-regolame llli jew bis-sahha

taghhom ,

tkun hatja ta' reat kontra dawn ir-regolamcnti.

(2) Kull persuna Ii taghmel, jew lipprova taghmel, rcat

kontra dawn ir-regolamenti , tehel, meta tinstab hatja

(a) fiI · kai: la' I-ewwel real, multa la' mhux anqas minn

LmSO ii.da mhux aktar minn Lm500;

(b) fiI-kai: taHieni jew ghal kull rcat ichor susscgwcnti,

multa ta' mhux anqas mi nn Lm 100 iida mh ux aktar minn Lm I {XX)

jew priguncrija ghal imien ta' mhux aktar minn semejn , jew dik

iI-mu ha u prigunerija flimkien

B'dan iUi I-Qorti tisla' nimkien mal-piena moghtija, torona !i1

persuna Ii tinsab halja ta' real tal'll dawn ir-regolamenti biex Ihallas I-

ispejjei Ii jkun ghamel id-Dire[[ur minhabba fil · ksur [a' dawn ir-

regolarnemi,kif ukoll ir-revoka tal-permess lijkull inhareg mid-Direttur

B 'dan ukollli kull pers ulla Ii [ippermeui Ii jsir real kOlltra dawli ir-

regolamellti b'vclfura bil-mulur Ii [kUIi registrata risimha, ghandha

wkoll tilqies Ii Ikun hatja la' real korltra dawli ir-regolamenti.

(3) Id-dispoiilljollijiel ta' I-anikoli 23 U las-s ubaniko[u ([) K>p.9.

la' ]·anikolu Ial-Kodii:i Kriminali ghandhom mll/mis mlUundis japplikaw

fi]-proi:edimemi rigward rea[ i kon[ra dawn ir-regolamenti, b-dan illi 1-

iskwal ifika miUi pcrs una jkol1ha jew likscb, ghal dak ii · i mien iIIi 1-

qorti jidhrillu xicraq , litenza las·sewqan jew permess Ii jinhareg mid·

Diretlur. m'ghandha r ebda kaz Ikun ghal inqas minn sena.

(4) Minkelja d-<lispoii1.1.jonij icl ta' I·artikolu 370 IllI · Koditi

Krim inali , proCedimenli dwarreal bi bur la' dawn ir. regolarnenli huma

la' kompelcnza lal .Qort i lal. Magis lrali ( Malia) jew lal-Qorti lal-

Magislral; (Ghawdcx ). skond il · ka2, u ghandhom ikunu skond id ·

dispoii1.zjonijiet IllI · KodiCi Kriminali Ii jirregolaw il·proCedura quddiem

dowk it-qroti bhala qrali la' gudikalura kriminali.

(5) Minkelja d·dispoiiujon ijiet lal· Kodici Krimin ali. 1-

Avukal Generali deljc m ikol1u I-jedd Ii jaghmel appell quddiem il·Qrali

la' I·Appell Krimi nal i minn kull deCiijoni moghtija mi!1·Qoni tal-

Magislrali (Matla) jew milt·Qorti lal· Magistral; (Ghawdex) d wa r

proCedimenli ri gward reali bi bur ta' dawn ir·regolamenli.