Traffic law must be “rigid and stiff” for offenders – Traffic Chief

…says applicants must be computer literate to take driver’s test

With the road fatality numbers already increasing in some regions in Guyana, Traffic Chief, Superintendent Ramesh Ashram says that the traffic laws must be “rigid and stiff” in order to deter roadway users, especially drivers, from committing traffic offences.

Superintendent Ashram pronounced his idealistic solution during a “Police and You” programme on Friday.
“We cannot get an offence and a driver paying $5000 for obstruction, and you drink and drive and you paying seven five. The law has to be so rigid and stiff that persons will feel the effect,” Ashram said.
The Traffic Chief pointed out that if the traffic offence penalties are increased, it would deter persons who commit the offence, particularly, drinking and driving which leads to fatality.
Just two months ago, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill had called for stricter control on roadways following a series of roadway accidents earlier in the year.
“No life should be lost as a result of carelessness or recklessness. As the Minister of Public Works, I will examine with my colleagues, to encourage legislation to ensure stricter controls, be it the training/re-training of drivers or riders, higher fines or stiffer penalties, and a studied approach for the introduction of a demerit system,” the Public Works Minister had penned in a statement.
To this end, draft amendments to the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act, as well as the Intoxicating Liquor Licensing (Amendment) Bill, were approved by the Cabinet in March of this year, with a view to toughening up the penalties for drunk drivers – and the bars that serve them – face.
The draft legislation for Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act seeks to amend the Principal Act and put in place a new Section, 35A. This new Section makes causing the death of someone through drunk driving, a case of vehicular manslaughter.
“Any person who causes the death of another person by the driving of a motor vehicle on the road or other public place while under the influence of drink or a drug to such an extent as to be incapable of having proper control of the vehicle shall be guilty of motor manslaughter and shall be liable on conviction on indictment to a term of imprisonment of not less than ten years,” the draft Bill stated.
The Bill also puts a three-year ban on persons convicted under it, from obtaining or holding a driver’s licence after their release from prison. A second conviction of a similar offence, the Bill states, will lead to the person being permanently disqualified. During the court process, the suspect will also be required to surrender their licence – failure of which will result in a fine of $100,000 or imprisonment for three months.
The draft Bill also amends Section 39A of the Principal Act – the penalty for driving over the alcohol limit – replacing the $7500 fine with $200,000 and the sentence of 12 months with 24 months.
It was also proposed in March that the penalty for driving under the influence and losing control of your vehicle be increased from its current $30,000 to $60,000 fine/imprisonment for 12 months, to $200,000 for first-time offenders and $300,000 for second-time offenders.
Meanwhile, Superintendent Ashram also said that persons seeking to obtain a driver’s licence must be computer literate to sit the computerised driving examination.
He said that computerised driver’s licence examination is the way forward.
“This is the way forward. We are going technology. And I am advising persons who want to be a licenced driver, they should have themselves computer literate because the exam is computer literate. If you know you cannot make it computer literate don’t enrol. Get yourself educated, so when you come to the computer room you would be able to do your exam,” the Traffic Chief said.