Traffic in Palma. recent photo. | Ultima Hora

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Drivers caught using their mobile phones or exceeding the 30 kilometre an hour speed limit will have 6 points slapped on their licence, according to a new package of legal reforms approved by the Council of Ministers.

The reformed Law on Traffic, Circulation of Motor Vehicles & Road Safety, the General Traffic Regulations & General Vehicle Regulations and the General Drivers Regulations also state that scooter speeds are limited to 25 kilometres an hour.

The objective is to create a new road safety model that will reduce fatalities and serious injuries by 50% over the next decade, in line with World Health Organisation recommendations.

On roads with one lane of traffic in each direction the maximum speed limit has been reduced from 50 km an hour to 30 and vehicles are forbidden from exceeding the speed limit whilst overtaking on conventional roads.

Here are the main measures:

1. Point Card Reforms
- The number of points deducted for driving whilst holding a mobile phone in the hand increases from 3 to 6. The 200 euro fine remains the same.
- Carrying radar detection devices or similar equipment is a serious offence, even if they are deactivated and will result in a 500 euro fine and three points.
- Cars and motorcycles must not exceed the speed limit by 20 kilometres an hour when passing other vehicles on conventional roads.
- 2 points can be removed from the licence by taking safe driving courses certified by the DGT.
- The initial balance of points will be recovered in 2 years, regardless of the seriousness of the infraction, provided no new infractions are committed.
- Using unauthorised intercom devices in driving tests will be considered a very serious offence and sanctioned with a 500 euro fine and a 6 months wait before appearing again.
- People and goods transport companies will be able to access the drivers registry online to find out if their workers' driving license is valid or not. It will be reported in red if not in force and green if it is.

2. Urban Mobility
- It will not be possible to exceed 20 km an hour on roads that have a single carriageway and pavements.
- In streets with a single lane in each direction, the limit will be 30 km an hour.
- In streets with two or more lanes of traffic, the limit will remain the same at 50 km an hour.

3. Personal Mobility Vehicles
- Vehicles with one or more wheels equipped with a single seat and powered exclusively by electric motors, such as scooters and segways, will have a maximum speed of 6-25 km an hour. Vehicles for people with reduced mobility such as wheelchairs are excluded.
- VMPs and scooters may not be used on sidewalks, pedestrian areas, inter-urban roads, crossings, motorways and highways that pass through towns, or in urban tunnels.
- Users will have to comply with the same rules of the road as other vehicles, so drivers may be subjected to a breathalyser test and headphones may not be used.
- These three measures will come into force on January 2, 2021.
- These vehicles must also have a corresponding certificate of circulation that certifies that they comply with the technical requirements in the Manual, two years after it is published.

4. Driving Licence
- The minimum age required to drive trucks is reduced from 21 to 18 after 280-hour Professional Aptitude Certificate, or CAP approval.
- The minimum age for driving coaches is also lowered to 18 without passengers, within a maximum radius of 50 km. Drivers must be 21 and have CAP approval to be able to carry passengers.
- The weight of vans that can be driven in national territory with a B permit for the transport of goods is increased from 3,500 kg to 4,250 kg, only when the increase in mass is due to the new propulsion systems.
- Specific mandatory protective equipment must be worn by applicants in skills and circulation tests to obtain a motorcycle licence.
- In certain cases it’s possible that, after an individualised medical and mechanical assessment, access to truck and bus driving licences will be authorised for people with problems associated with the locomotor system, thanks to advances in prosthetics and vehicles.