00:00The Chief Justice says an attempt to make it more convenient for persons with traffic tickets to pay their fines
00:06has become a way of beating the system.
00:08During the opening of the new law term, the Chief Justice said the judiciary is working with the Transport Ministry
00:14to find a solution.
00:15This, as the Prime Minister says, the increasing traffic fines has led to a decrease in traffic road fatalities.
00:22Jewel Brown has more.
00:24Chief Justice Ronny Boodoo-Singh, in his first address for the opening of a law term in Trinidad and Tobago,
00:30highlighted the good work of the judiciary, as well as challenges such as one regarding the state's efforts concerning road
00:36safety.
00:38Previously, when someone was issued a ticket, the ticket stated a date to attend a magistrate's court in the district
00:46where the ticket was obtained.
00:49That ticket served as a summons.
00:51With the new system, people could choose where they will go based on places of work or residence.
01:01Of course, people often look for ways to beat a system.
01:07So they began to choose locations where the lists were longer, resulting in them getting dates of hearing years down
01:19the line.
01:20An unintended consequence was identified.
01:22An attempt to make it more convenient for the ticket recipient became a way of beating the system because, in
01:33three or four years, chances are, the police officer may no longer be in that district or may forget about
01:42the case.
01:44This makes a mockery of the system and leads to citizens bemoaning on Facebook that traffic cases are taking years
01:54to be determined and that cases are being listed three and four years down the road.
02:01Chief Justice Boodoo-Singh said the judiciary is seeking a solution.
02:05We are working with the Ministry of Transport and Aviation to adjust the online system for listing of traffic cases
02:13to provide shorter return dates for faster hearing and disposal.
02:19Traffic fines had been increased by the government following the 2025 general election, a move which was heavily criticized by
02:26the opposition, which favors the previous demerit points system.
02:29Speaking with the media after the opening of the 2026-2027 law term, Prime Minister Kanaposal Besasa fielded a question
02:37from TV6 News about her statement on social media in January that if by the end of the first half
02:43of 2026 there's a decrease in road deaths, reckless driving and drunk driving offenses, she, quote, would be willing to
02:52reduce traffic fines to lower than they previously were, end quote.
02:57Have you had a chance to have that review?
02:59Well, what I'll tell you from the data, that the traffic offenses have really decreased, tremendously decreased, so it means
03:07it worked.
03:07I remember we started with, we got a lot of blowback.
03:11Fatalities have decreased.
03:12The fatalities, road fatalities have also decreased, so yes, I haven't looked at it in terms of reviewing, changing it,
03:19but it has worked very, very well from the data that we have.
03:23So whether we keep it or move it, I wouldn't want to pronounce that today.
03:26In addition to the increase in traffic fines, 18 traffic violations are subject to fixed penalty warnings, which, once issued,
03:35could have a period of three or seven business days to be rectified to avoid them becoming fixed penalty notices.
03:42Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
03:45Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
03:45Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
03:45Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
03:45Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
