給悉尼人寫的一篇------交通違例

昨晚跟朋友吃飯，不期然又被考核，問起交通違例。通常的問題都是這兩個：「咁都犯法嘅咩？」「有無得打？」。

在悉尼駕車是日常生活的一部份，故此被抄牌的機會可謂不少。有時被抄牌是自己明知違例，心存僥倖搏好運，希望不會遇到ranger(相當於香港的交通督導員)。有些情況是自己錯誤理解交通條例，或者駕駛習慣不正確，不知道違例而引致的。一般定額罰款(penalty notice)違例事項，都訂立在Road Rules 2008(連結在此) 這交通規例裏面，平時可以翻閱一下，温故知新。被抄了牌，也可以比對一下。至於非定額罰款的違例，就要循主法例Road Transport Act 2013及其它Road Transport Act 那裹找。

萬一被抄牌，「咁都犯法嘅咩？」這問題自己可以翻閱有關條例，了解一下法律。「有無得打？」是一般人更關心的問題。有些人覺得我無心違例，我不知這樣做是犯法的，我看不見交通標誌，看不到交通燈之類的理由。這些基本上都不是法庭會接納的抗辯理由，因為在法律上，控方無需證明你有心違例，這些定額罰款事項的犯罪意圖(mens rea)，絕大部分都屬嚴格法律要求的(offences of strict liability)。Road Rules 2008 第10-1(2)條這樣講：

10–1   NSW rule: determination of criminal responsibility

.......

(2) Offences are strict liability offences
An offence against these Rules is a strict liability offence for the purposes of Chapter 2 of the Commonwealth Criminal Code (as applied by subrule (1)), except where these Rules expressly provide otherwise.

......

如果收到告票，首先看清楚告票內容，所描述的時間、地點、車牌號碼及違例事項有任何出錯的話，都可以是要求撤銷告票的理由。如果你紀錄良好，也可以嘗試要求撤銷告票，要求以書面警告代替檢控。絕大部分抗辯的案件，都是事實上的爭論，否認違規行為。真的要抗辯，一定要清楚上庭是要花很多時間的，沒有理據及勝訴的把握，干脆繳交罰款，不要浪費時間。

昨日朋友問的情況是，出迴旋處沒有打燈違反Road Rules 2008 第118條：

118   Giving a left change of direction signal when leaving a roundabout

(1)  If practicable, a driver driving in a roundabout must give a left change of direction signal when leaving the roundabout.

Maximum penalty: 20 penalty units.

Note. Left change of direction signal is defined in the Dictionary.

(2)  The driver must stop giving the change of direction signal as soon as the driver has left the roundabout.

Maximum penalty: 20 penalty units.

(3)  This rule does not apply to a driver if the driver’s vehicle is not fitted with direction indicator lights.

Note 1. Driver’s vehicle is defined in the Dictionary.

Note 2. The rules in Part 11 about driving in marked lanes and moving from one marked lane or line of traffic to another marked lane or line of traffic apply to a driver leaving a roundabout—see rules 146 to 148.

1個penalty point是$110，以定額罰款處理，罰$165並扣兩分。