BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – A Traffic Department operation conducted late last week revealed that there is still an issue with persons not buckling-up while travelling in or driving a vehicle.
The exercise took place on Thursday (Aug. 20) when two vehicle checkpoints (VCPs) were established – one at the airport roundabout and the other along the Island’s Main Road in Camps.
Sergeant Calvin Amory of the Traffic Department told SKNVibes that between the hours of 6:30 a.m. and 8:45 a.m., a total of 165 vehicles were stopped, checked and 35 tickets for various traffic offences were issued.
Providing a breakdown of the ticket distribution, he indicated that 43 percent were issued to vehicle operators who failed to wear their seatbelts while driving.
Persons ticketed for failing to wear seatbelts would be required to pay $150 and if one appears before a magistrate for that offence and is convicted, a fine of up to $1 000 can be imposed.
Six tickets were issued for tinted windows, one to an omnibus operator who failed to stop at a designated bus stop, two for defective tyres, three for defective number plates, four for not displaying licensing sticker, four for driving unlicenced vehicles and 15 for driving without seatbelts.
As part of the operation, Lionel Stevens of Farms Housing, Sandy Point was arrested and charged with driving while not covered with insurance.
SGT Amory expressed some disappointment with the statistics from that operation, explaining that the traffic laws were implemented and are being enforced for the safety of ALL road users, yet there are those who insist on non-compliance.
He reminded that the Traffic Department has a mandate to promote road safety within the Federation and would continue to do so, and those in violation would be dealt with in accordance with the law.
“We continue to appeal to the public to drive with due care and attention, drive in accordance with road conditions and the speed limit, ensure that your vehicle’s tyres, lights and number plates are not defective, buckle up and abide by the traffic laws in their entirety.”
