Bad drivers pay $90m in 2018

The TT Police Service (TTPS) generated $90 million in fixed penalty notices issued to errant drivers in 2018. This was revealed by Insp Kissoon Badloo of the Traffic and Highway Patrol Branch.

In giving further details while speaking at the weekly police press briefing at the Police Administration Building yesterday, Badloo said 3,411 drivers were arrested and charged for driving under the influence (DUI) offences in 2018. Badloo said 38,078 speed tickets were issued to drivers with a total value of $38,078,000. He said, 67 per cent (25,347) of the speed offences was detected by divisional speed teams on main roads and 33 per cent (12,731) by Highway Patrol.

“A total of 68,956 fixed penalty notices (traffic tickets) were issued to drivers for other traffic violations with an estimated total value of $52 million with the top five offences being failure to comply with traffic signs/defaced registration plates, breach of traffic light, improper overtaking on left, failure to wear seatbelts and mobile phone use.” Badloo said the reduction shows a sustained decline in road traffic deaths in TT with the country having successfully reduced road deaths by 46 per cent over the past eight years.

He said the sustained decline is in keeping with targets set by the UN’s Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011 to 2020, which aims to encourage member states to reduce the number of road traffic deaths by 50 per cent by 2020.

“It is heartening to see that many of the initiatives which were implemented have made a significant and measurable impact. These initiatives include deployment of laser speed guns; sustained DUI enforcement; the iRoadsafe campaign; voluntary breath testing stations; high visibility markings on highway patrol, rapid response unit and now emergency response patrol vehicles; as well as re-staffing and training of officers at the Traffic Branch.” Badloo said the continued partnership and support from road safety by Sharon Inglefield and non-governmental organisation Arrive Alive continued to be invaluable and had helped spread the message of road safety in the national dialogue. He said, according to data collected, 2018 ended with 112 road traffic deaths arising from 104 fatal road traffic accidents which represents a four per cent reduction in road traffic deaths from the 117 road death figure in 2017. “Drivers formed the largest category of road-user deaths in 2018 accounting for 41 per cent of road deaths, a decrease of six per cent compared to 49 in 2017. There was a 350 per cent increase in bicyclists’ deaths for 2018. There were nine bicyclists being killed in collisions as compared to two in 2017.

“Passengers saw a 30 per cent decrease with 16 recorded deaths in 2018 when compared to 23 in 2017. The year-end death, data also showed the last time TT experienced such a low death figure was in 1958.”