$3,000 fine for interfering with road penalty warning

News Sean Douglas 11 Hrs Ago

Police officers issue tickets to drivers in Port of Spain. - File photo

ANYONE who interferes with a traffic warning issued to an errant motorist who violates any one of 18 offences for having a derelict vehicle will be fined $3,000, stated the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill 2026. The bill will be debated by MPs in the House of Representatives on January 16. Attorney General John Jeremie will present it.

The list of offences, as recently presented by Transport Minister Eli Zakour, include not having identification lights at night, not printing the number of passengers allowable in a taxi or having a smoky or noisy vehicle. If an errant driver is noted by the police, the law then gives him/her a grace period of three working days to fix a defect for most offences such as the first two listed, or seven days to fix either of the latter two. A constable meanwhile will affix to the vehicle a written notice recording details of the offence and known as a fixed penalty warning. This can be removed from display only once the driver notifies the police that he has complied and fixed the defect.

The bill's explanatory note warns of the fine for a breach. "Only the driver, someone under the driver’s authority or the person liable for the traffic violation shall remove the fixed penalty warning that is affixed to a vehicle. "A person who contravenes subsection is liable on summary conviction to a fine of $3,000."

Until the driver remedies the defect, the fixed penalty warning shall be on public display.

The bill says in clause 80A (2): "The constable shall affix a fixed penalty warning to any part of the vehicle where the fixed penalty warning may be easily seen."

By this action the constable is deemed to have served a fixed penalty warning upon the person liable for the traffic violation.

The police also send a duplicate to the Licensing Authority, the bill adds.

The legislation says if the driver or owner fails to comply, the fixed penalty warning then becomes a fixed penalty notice for the particular traffic violation.

"The driver or owner of the vehicle shall be liable for the traffic violation in accordance with this act."

The bill says a warning must include the date, time and place the warning was issued or affixed; the section of law violated; the time the driver or owner has to comply; and the person or location to whom the driver or owner may report and produce evidence of remedying the violation.

In the event the warning becomes a notice, the warning shall also state the time period to pay the penalty, the sum, the payee, the number of demerit points incurred, and the fact the person may contest the notice.