BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE Traffic Department is trying to develop a culture on the island where motorists deem it important and necessary to abide by the traffic laws of the land. And in promotion of this venture, it continues to conduct stop-and-check operations with the latest being held last Friday (Oct. 5).
The operation began at about 6:30 that morning and ran for approximately two hours, where two vehicle checkpoints were established – one at Conaree and the other at Camps. And at these points, some 80 vehicles were stopped and the attending officers checked each one for any possible traffic violations.
SGT Calvin Amory of the Department informed this publication that a total of 16 tickets were issued - two for defective tyres, one for defective licence plate, two for driving without a valid driver’s licence, three for excessive tint, one for failing to display licence sticker, one for failing to display passenger and fare sign and one for speeding.
Five persons were also ticketed for failing to wear their seatbelts as prescribed by law, and 10 persons were asked to take their vehicles to the Traffic Department for inspection.
The SGT indicated that persons ticketed for failing to wear their seatbelts constituted the greatest percentage (31.25%) of tickets issued during the operation.
Via this medium, SGT Amory has appealed to motorists to abide by the laws of the land, reminding that they have been set to promote road safety.
“We are finding that we are continually having to remind persons that the traffic laws exist and that they must be adhered to. We still have to remind persons that the law prescribes that they must wear their seatbelts, that they should not excessively tint their vehicles and that they should not drive their vehicles once they are fitted with defective tyres.
“Motorists need to get to the point where they understand that the laws have been enacted to promote safety and any deviation from these laws, and there is an increased risk of accident and injury. These are things which shouldn’t be taken lightly.”
