Works and Transport Minister Fitzgerald Hinds is “seriously contemplating” increasing the fines for motorists caught speeding. In fact, Hinds said, he was actively considering the “substantial” increase as there were still a few motorists speeding “beyond the permissible legal limits.”
Speaking at the 2015 Road Safety Awards Recognition Ceremony, Ministry of Works and Transport, Port-of-Spain, yesterday, Hinds said that was only one of the counter-measures his ministry was looking at to rein in drivers who continued to flout road safety regulations and disregarded the law.
Delivering the feature address during the ceremony which saw 20 persons, including acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams, being honoured for their contributions to enhancing road safety in T&T, Hinds said he was heartened to witness a general “slowdown” in the madness on the roads which signaled the beginning of a new driving culture.
However, he said there were a persistent few who refused to observe the new regulations and ignored good advice. “It is with them in mind that I want to increase the fine. It is with them in mind that I want to broaden the net for detecting those offenders,” he added.
The countermeasures being considered include the introduction of more speed detection devices for law enforcement officers; the establishment of a Demerit Points System, where points will be scored against a person’s licence and a repeat offender could end up being disqualified from driving for stipulated periods; stricter and increased drink driving tests and a ramping up of operations in the general enforcement of laws that would render the roads safe for both drivers and other road-users.
Hinds said once society kept on demanding stronger action and an urgent response from politicians, they would have no choice but to react and that another possible measure could include “jail sentencing.” He said driving recklessly was a criminal offence and he compared the effects of it to that of a man with a gun firing it wantonly in public. “We may very well have to improve the law to deal with it,” he added.
Hinds believes it is not necessary if the net of detection is broadened and more police officers are posted on the streets.
“With some improved detection capacity and greater presence, I think the extreme behaviour will be curtailed,” Hinds said.
Elaborating on the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Bill which will be re-introduced into the Parliament soon, Hinds said it was before the Legislative Review Committee which was chaired by the Attorney General. He said when that was complete, the amendments would be brought to the Cabinet before being laid in the Parliament.
Declaring that process was in “an advanced stage of pregnancy,” Hinds said he had requested that terms, such as licensing, registration and road traffic management regime, be “revolutionised.” Another amendment is the proposal to issue tickets to vehicles that fail inspection tests. He also flatly rejected claims there was a technical glitch in the speed guns.
Asked about claims that a refund was coming to motorists after alleged admissions of a problem with the equipment, Hinds said he was not aware of any such reports and that the experts had not identified any such issues. See Page A11.