By Emily Hung

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Hongkongers will face legal consequences starting in December if they fail to properly handle unlicensed vehicles registered in their names, as authorities step up their crackdown on cars abandoned on the streets.
Amy Lee Mei-fung, assistant commissioner of the Transport Department, said on Wednesday that the new rule aimed to increase deterrence against improper abandonment of vehicles.
From December 22, the department will issue a notice to registered owners of vehicles that have been unlicensed for two years or more, she said during a radio programme.
Owners must either renew the registration or cancel it by scrapping the vehicles or permanently shipping them out of Hong Kong within three months.
Those who fail to comply may face a fine of up to HK$10,000 (US$1,283) and three months’ imprisonment. Repeated offenders could be fined HK$25,000 and jailed for six months.
Under the new measure, convicted owners who failed to pay the fine could face serious penalties.
The court could order the department to refuse to issue or renew a driving licence, decline licensing the vehicle in question or any other cars in their names, as well as prevent a transfer of ownership.
An exemption may be granted if the vehicles are awaiting spare parts for maintenance and examination before licence renewal, properly stored as a private collection and not used on roads, or stored by a car dealer for consignment sale.
Cheung said the length of the exemption period could range from one to 10 years, depending on the situation. For example, those who stored their vehicles on their own properties would get more years than those on rented properties.
Owners may provide other reasonable grounds for the department’s assessment based on individual cases.