Govt declares war on traffic violators

GOVERNMENT yesterday declared war on traffic violators by unveiling an arsenal of tough legislation which will be coming to Parliament early in 2004. Sounding the battle cry was Works and Transport Minister Franklyn Khan, who revealed that part of the proposed legislative package will involve testing the alcohol levels in drivers’ blood. This, however, will require Opposition UNC support.

Addressing the Colfire Road Safety awards ceremony in Westmoorings, the Minister condemned “two idiots” with “nitrous oxide in their cars” for causing their tragic deaths  near Chaguanas on Monday. Noting that the death toll on Trinidad and Tobago’s roads for 2003 currently stands at 186, Khan said his Ministry has been working closely with the Office of the Attorney General to create a legislative framework aimed at “reducing the proliferation of accidents.” He said digital cameras will be installed at intersections “to detect red light runners” and “on highways to detect motorists exceeding the speed limits” while speed radar detection devices “will also be utilised to detect motorists exceeding the speed limits.”

Khan also revealed that the breathalyser will be introduced. It will involve testing alcohol levels in drivers’ breath and blood. He said the latter component required a special majority to pass in Parliament and “no political party” has any grounds to block the passage of legislation which is in “the national interest.”  Despite PNM-UNC cooperation to pass the Occupational Health and Safety Bill in Parliament last Friday, Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday said the UNC was not changing its overall stance of non-cooperation with Government on special legislation. Quoting figures from the Central Statistical Office, Khan said there were 31,318 traffic accidents in TT for 2002 (with 163 fatalities) and this reflected an increase of 22.8 percent when compared to 25,506 road traffic accidents in 2001. 

The Minister also said TT ranks among “the first-world countries in motor vehicle population per capita” with 400,000 vehicles currently registered at the Licensing Authority and annual increases in the vehicle population of 20,000 “and this trend has in no way signalled that it is going to decrease,” he declared. Given the inability of the nation’s existing road network to handle increasing volumes of traffic, Khan said his Ministry has embarked on a programme of alternate route development and alluded to plans to use the oil and tasker network grids in South and Central Trinidad in this regard. Khan also hinted at linking TT’s major valleys to ease traffic congestion in several urban centres and noted many of these centres had only “one way in, one way out.”