Even as there is a recommendation by the Police Service to increase the speed limit from 80 kilometres to 100, there is also a proposal to fine errant divers in various categories for speeding.
Co-ordinator of the Road Safety Project for the Police Service, Brent Batson, said while the proposed increase was reasonable drivers must always exercise caution on the road, not only for themselves but to other road users.
“So we are proposing to have a tier system regarding fines. Depending on how far over you are over of the speed limit the higher your fine would be,” Batson said. He said the proposed increase of the speed limit was on the card for a while as the engineers would have been working on their assessment of the various roadways.
“But it must be up to them once the assessment has been completed,” Batson said.
Since the speed guns have been implemented, he said there has been a culture change in T&T, as drivers have become more aware of the dangers of speeding.
“We have witnessed a culture change where drivers actually look at their speed monitors once they see a patrol car where as before they would just speed past the police.
“Drivers have also become more cautions of the dangers of speeding which would not only result in death of the driver but other innocent people,” Batson added. He said when the speed guns were first put into effect within the first three months there was a decrease in speeding.
“As a matter of fact we saw a 50 per cent decrease within the first three months,” Batson said adding that one of the main factors of collisions was speeding. Arrive Alive president, Sharon Inglefield, said the organisation was yet to see the proposal even though a request was made by Arrive Alive to the works and transport ministry.
She said before any increased to the speed limit was made other initiatives should be implemented.
“As a road safety NGO we would prefer to see and enhanced level of enforcement by way of more speed guns in the hands of the police along with cameras and ticketing by cameras as well as the demerit point system in place prior to increasing our speed limit,” Inglefield said.
She said Arrive Alive’s focus has always been and remained to keep families together and preserve lives.