Jamaica: PM Andrew Holness addresses New Road Traffic Act

Jamaica: Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness addressed the fines under the New Road Traffic Act on February 09, 2023. The government of Jamaica informed that under the New Road Traffic Act, the argument that the fines attached to road traffic violations are excessive suggests the fines should be kept low, so they can be easily paid and the bad behaviour on the roads can continue. The fines are not intended as punishment; they are intended as deterrents.

“You have a government that listens and responds, and when errors are made, we correct them. Let us now move to the stage where we comply with our nation’s laws, taking the time to learn our rights and responsibilities,” it stated.

The government will provide updates and further explanations where necessary, even as they recognize that within any democracy, it is an obligation to learn the laws so we can better abide by them for safety and protection.

Furthermore, it mentioned that enforcing traffic laws in Jamaica has been a long-standing issue, and the government has implemented various measures over the years to ensure compliance. “The measures we are discussing now, many of them are not new. They have been in the Act since 1999 or earlier, and there have been several iterations of the New Road Traffic Act,” it stated.

In addition to this, Prime Minister Holness stated, “I believe that since 2016 when we took office, we have stated unequivocally that it is our objective to enforce the law. The public is finally seeing an administration that is serious about enforcing the law.”

“We are not crafting entirely new laws. We are simply enforcing those laws that already exist and that successive governments saw as necessary and crucial to our harmonious development and maturity as a country,” it added.