New rules from drivers and car owners to be launched from 2016

By Tatia Megeneishvili

Wednesday, December 16

Restrictions will be imposed on right-hand drive vehicles

The age of cars might become a problem when importing the vehicles

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), the registration of right-hand drive cars or those which have had the steering system moved to the left may be banned from March 1, 2016.

The MIA has already initiated the draft law to parliament. According to amendments, the restriction will only affect vehicles that will be imported to Georgia. Those which are already in Georgia and are in use will be allowed to be re-registered.

The Parliament Speaker of Georgia, Davit Usupashvili, made a statement regarding the issue and said that Parliament will take its time and learn all the aspects of initiate draft law.

“After approving the bill, there must not be any unanswered questions. We need to make the right changes regarding this issue. That is why we will discuss every possible direction. However, one thing is clear; the situation needs to be improved and this law is one of the ways we might need to take,” stated Usupashvili.

Beside the registration of a right-hand car, the age of the vehicle will also be taken into account.

According to the MIA, any car which will be aged between 3-6 years will be heavily taxed , as will the registration of any car/motorcycle older than 9 years.

The MIA explained that such changes are needed due to environmental concerns. According to them, old cars pollute the air much more than new ones. The size of the engine will also be taken into account.

“The project aims to improve the environmental situation and support the import of ecologically safe vehicles. To improve the situation, we need to renew our auto park,” reads the statement.

The MIA is also intending to introduce changes to the driver’s fine system. According to the proposed changes, a driving license will have total of 100 points, and every time a driver violates the rules of the road, he/she will lose points. When the score goes under 0, the license will be revoked and the driver will have to take an exam in order to get new one. Different violations will have different penalty scores.