Seatbelt wearing among amendments proposed in Vehicles and Road Traffic Act
By Melissa Bryant
Reporter~SKNVibes.com
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – AS part of the effort to reduce motor vehicle accidents and to enhance the general safety of pedestrians and drivers, the government of St. Kitts and Nevis is proposing several changes to the Vehicles and Road Traffic Act.
The amendments were made after government consultations with the Licensing Authority and the Traffic Department and the Bill was given its first reading in the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly on Tuesday, November 11.
The most notable proposal is that which makes it mandatory for the driver and front seat passengers of a vehicle to wear seatbelts. Motor vehicles manufactured before January 1, 1990, buses, authorised emergency vehicles and trucks with a maximum gross weight of 18 000 pounds or more are excluded from this requirement.
Passengers 12 years or younger and/or weighs less than 40 pounds must wear a seat belt or be restrained in a specially designed detachable or removable seat. Failure to follow this law will result in a fine of EC$100 for the first offence and EC$200 for a subsequent offence.
Amendments also include a clause prohibiting persons under the age of 17 from being granted a Class L driver’s licence to drive a motor vehicle other than a motor cycle and disallowing them from being granted any other class of driver’s licence before attaining the age of 18. ~~Adz:Right~~
Additionally, the penalty for causing death by dangerous driving has been established at three years incarceration and the fine for persons found driving without a licence has been increased to EC$2 000.
The amendments also address procedural matters for police officers when stopping a vehicle, the standard required for a breathalyser test and provision for persons who seek to register a public service vehicle to apply in writing to the Tourism Authority in the case or to the Traffic Safety and Public Service Drivers Board, depending on the type of vehicle.
Traffic Inspector Venetta Wyatt praised the amendments, especially the mandatory seatbelt requirement.
“It is a fact that wearing seatbelts can decrease the severity of injuries for persons who are injured in motor vehicle accidents. I am glad to see that this provision has been included in the changes because it would result in an increase in the overall safety of the nation’s road users, and that is the ultimate aim of the Traffic Department,” the Traffic Chief said.
The National Assembly convenes on Tuesday, November 25, and while the agenda has yet to be circulated it is widely expected that the Amended Vehicles and Road Traffic Act will tabled for its second reading.
