[UPDATED] Road traffic violence still a threat

WORKS and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan says road traffic violence remains a daily threat to citizen’s well-being.

Speaking on Wednesday at the 6th annual Road Safety Awards at the ministry’s head office in Port of Spain, Sinanan said speed remains a key risk factor in road traffic accidents and influences both the risk of accidents and the severity of injuries that result from crashes.

He said amendments to the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Act will soon be operationalised, which is not a quick fix solution, but rather a multifaceted and holistic approach.

“In the long run, the new way of managing all areas of transportation will place TT on par with many countries in the developed world and ultimately make TT roads safer spaces to navigate while driving, cycling and on foot.

“Therefore, today I call on you to help make this new system a true success.

“I wholeheartedly believe that TT can achieve its ambition to attain zero road deaths because as the data on road safety demonstrates, all violent road incidents can be avoided.”

Working closely in hand with the red light camera system will be the Demerit Points System. Sinanan said the new points system will now equip the licensing authority with the right data to exercise its new statutory powers to suspend the permit of a habitually errant driver.

He said this approach will also aid dramatically in behaviour change as offenders will require participating in a mandatory rehabilitation programme before they are allowed to drive again.

“In this value-added scenario, the Licensing Division now has the power to suspend the privilege of driving and future transactions with an offender until the amount outstanding on the ticket is fully paid.

He added, “This way of transaction will not only compel individuals to act more cautiously to avoid the inconvenience of not driving but also make the payment process easier on them because online payments will be made available.”

Sinanan said the new laws related to the spot speed camera system will create the legal framework for the use of stand-alone and mobile camera technology capable of measuring vehicle speed.

He said the technology does not rely on the presence of law enforcement officers for speed detection and will greatly advance the ministry’s goals to deliver safer roads in TT.

“The Traffic Enforcement Centre is located at the Licensing headquarters in Caroni.

This office is the major hub of real time connectivity for data and the processing of citation notices, the allocation of demerit points and the operation of the red light camera system.

“The ministry has just drafted a National Road Safety Plan for TT. It includes a National Road Safety Policy and a National Road Safety Work Plan for the decade 2020-2030 and mirrors the vision, strategies and activities of the United Nations.”

Sinanan said extending his gratitude and appreciation to more than 100 awardees attached to the police and fire services, ambulance personnel and emergency management services.

This story was originally published with the title "Sinanan: Road traffic violence still a threat" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

Statistics for road traffic deaths were the lowest from 1958 up until the end of 2018, but road traffic violence remains a threat to citizens' wellbeing every day, Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan said today.

Speaking at the 6th annual Road Safety Awards at the ministry on London and Richmond Streets, Port of Spain, Sinanan said the ceremony was to honour various road-safety groups from that period and remind people of the potential of the various groups to bring about positive change on the roads.

Sinanan said speed has been identified as a key risk factor in road traffic injuries, influencing both the risk of a crash and the severity of the injuries that result from crashes.

He said amendments to the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Act will soon be operationalised, which is not a quick-fix solution, but rather a multi-faceted and holistic approach.

“In the long run, the new way of managing all areas of transportation will place TT on par with many countries in the developed world and ultimately make TT roads safer spaces to navigate while driving, cycling and on foot.

“Therefore, today I call on you to help make this new system a true success. I wholeheartedly believe that TT can achieve its ambition to attain zero road deaths, because as the data on road safety demonstrates, all violent road incidents can be avoided."