Traffic law regulations tabled

The long-awaited Road Traffic Regulations was tabled in Parliament on Tuesday by new Transport and Mining Minister Audley Shaw.

Passage of the regulations by Parliament will pave the way for the implementation of the Road Traffic Act that was approved in 2018 with far-reaching changes to tackle significant loopholes in the current law.

However, despite its passage four years ago, the law could not be implemented without the accompanying regulations.

The regulations will not be debated and passed at this time, as the House of Representatives will be prorogued on February 7.

This will pave the way for the presentation of the Throne Speech by the governor general on February 10, which signals the start of a new legislative year.

The 2018 Road Traffic Act, which is not yet introduced, outlaws the use of handheld devices by drivers and provides stiffer penalties for speeding, the non-wearing of seat belts, and other traffic offences.

Under the new regulations to be debated during the upcoming parliamentary year, a motorist or car dealer who resets, alters or otherwise interferes with the odometer of a motor vehicle with the intent to change the recorded distance could be slapped with a fine not exceeding $250,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding five months on conviction in a Parish Court.

Operating a public passenger vehicle on a road in contravention of the requirements under the regulation could see an offender being fined up to $50,000 or facing a term not exceeding one month on conviction in a Parish Court.

The regulations also set out stiff fines for persons who unlawfully interfere with an electronic enforcement device or its proper functioning or otherwise use an implement or other means to interfere with the accurate capturing or producing of photographic images or video recordings by an electronic enforcement device.

If convicted of this offence, an individual could be fined up to $200,000 or be sentenced up to four months in prison.

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