Desperate Complaints By Trinidad & Tobago Citizens Causes Changes To Traffic Penalties.
Up to 18 traffic offenses will see police officers having to allow motorists, time to fix the faults on their vehicles.
After days of pleas from the public, Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar said, in the coming days she will go to the parliament to change certain clauses.
The prime minister said, earlier this week she had been told of a minority of officers, taking advantage of members of the public.
At Thursday’s cabinet news conference, Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Eli Zakoor, sought to explain the changes to be made.
The minister said, at present, police officers are allowed to use discretionary powers for some offenses, and these create inconsistencies.
Minister Zakoor said, that will change, and he listed some of the offenses that would trigger discretionary powers.
Motorists will also get three days to fix faults such as no horn, no left-hand drive signs, no tail and park lights and removing ads on the sides of windows of taxis.
Noisy vehicles are among those whose owners will have seven days to fix.
The minister said last year alone over twenty thousand people were fined for those 18 offenses.
According to the minister, if motorists are stopped by the police for any of the outlying offenses a printed warning would be issued.
There would be checks and balances.
Many have been complaining about the changes to the fines and penalties.
Government has insisted that it is not a revenue generating measure.