A senior traffic officer is calling for tougher penalties for road offences after two fatal crashes occurred within 24 hours.
Corporal Brendon Sutherland of the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda said current fines and regulations are too weak to deter reckless driving, even as serious collisions appear to be increasing. He noted that many offences—such as driving without due care and attention—are not arrestable, and police often cannot detain drivers unless dangerous driving is witnessed firsthand.
Sutherland said several penalties are so low that motorists simply ignore them, including the fine for using a cell phone while driving. He warned, however, that every ticket carries a demerit point, and drivers who reach 14 points face licence suspension once the system is fully enforced.
He urged motorists to plan ahead, avoid distractions, and exercise patience, saying Antigua and Barbuda’s short travel distances make rushing unnecessary. Stronger penalties combined with safer driving habits, he said, would help reduce collisions.
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It is not tougher penalties that are needed, doing so focuses on just punishment after the act occurs. You want to have better deterrence and preventative measures, things that occur before to prevent the act from occurring. Please focus, crimes are already punishable, and they are still being committed. So at this time, sensible people are more focused on prevention, police/public strategies that stop such actions from occurring and punishment after the act doesn’t stop the act, as it already happened. Let us focus on stopping the act fron occurring. Please focus people.
While I agree with him, Police also need to play their part in enforcing the laws regarding speeding
Police officers always talk about stronger laws, no matter what is the law people still will be doing what they’re doing now, murderers getting life in prisonment and they’re still committing murders.
If the dead person is d cause of d accident wat tougher punishment can be handed
Ask the officer where are the police patrol on the faster roads. You only der traffic bikes and the 2 traffic cars at escorts. Gravel, large overnight potholes, poor lighting plays their part. Why would cows and horses still be walking on our buzy roads. Where are the police when the is traffic backed up for miles. More penalties. Who’s gonna give the tickets????
“Once the system is fully enforced” that’s what you need to do as traffic police, you and your squad need to get on the road and fully and strictly implement the law. You yourself are weak and that’s why motorist as you say ignore these penalties, never heard so much crap coming from an officer. Man there are times I drive from town to Old Road and on this journey, not one marked police vehicle or motorcycle is seeing, all we kept asking is for drivers to drive more carefully and as you can see that’s deaf ear.
@Biggs…very funny lol
The biggest problem in the country is the dunce young people who seem to think that speeding makes you a good driver and all they want to is show off. I see them daily at high speed and entering a curve or bend at a wrong angle and not realizing if you enter wrong you are likely to come out of it wrong. DEM DUNCE DUNCE DUNCE
WHAT THE HELL…! …SENIOR TRAFFIC OFFICER: …CALL FOR STIFFER PENALTY…?
***
EMOTIONS v COMMON SENSE:
***
IT HAS NEVER BEEN ABOUT ‘…STIFFER PENALTIES.’
***
Now:
OPERATIONAL KNOWLEDGE:
Clearly this ‘…CORPORAL OF POLICE,’ may have been reacting to ‘…EMOTIONS’ than of a ‘…COMMON SENSE APPROACH.’
***
SENIORITY IN RANK:
This is not to say a ‘…CORPORAL OF POLICE,’ is ever starved for knowledge.
***
As it affects the ‘…CHAIN OF COMMAND,’ ‘SENIORITY’ is designated this way:
(i) ‘…COMMISSIONER OF POLICE- ‘…TRAFFIC COMMISSIONER:
(ii) …2 1/C DEPUTY COMMISSIONER -OPERATIONS:
(iii) …TRAFFIC OFFICERS:
(a) … AN ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER: or
(b) …A SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE: or
(c) …AN ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE: or
(d) …AN INSPECTOR OF POLICE:
***
JUNIOR/LESSER RANKED PERSONNEL
(i) ‘…SENIOR SERGEANT OF POLICE:
(ii) …SERGEANT OF POLICE:
(iii) …CORPORAL OF POLICE: and
(iv) …POLICE CONSTABLE.’
***
NUMERICAL VALUE:
Unfortunately, several of the ‘…SENIOR RANKS,’ adds only to ‘…NUMERICAL VALUE.’
***
Some are merely: ‘…NUMBERS.’
Thus, this ‘…CORPORAL OF POLICE,’ seemingly took the ‘…LEAD ROLE.’
***
NOW, WITH POTENTIAL:
(a) ‘…Shall be ‘…ENCOURAGED:
(b) …Shall be ‘…FORMALLY TRAINED: and
(c) …ELEVATED.’
***
LESSON: BASICS
ROAD TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT- FOREMOST:
(i) ‘…EDUCATION OF MOTORISTS AND PEDESTRIANS:
(a) ‘…ROLLED OUT INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMMES ON SAFE DRIVING:
…Go into communities: …Town Halls: …Radio: … Television: …Pamphlets
***
THE FINER POINTS-EMPHASIS ON:
…Driving withue Care and attention: …Yielding: …Extending road courtesies: …Concentration: …Focus etc:
***
NIGHT-TIME DRIVING:
AT NIGHT, THREE THINGS MOTORISTS CANNOT TELL:
(i) …WIDTH OF ONCOMING VEHICLE:
(ii) …DISTANCE OF VEHICLE: and
(iii) …SPEED OF VEHICLE.’
***
VISIBLE TO THE EYES:
THE LIGHTS.
***
EASY TO TELL WHEN TWO VEHICLES ON THE ROAD AT NIGHTS:
(i) ‘…AMBULANCE RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES: and
(ii) …POLICE (invariably hustling to beat):
(a) ‘…THE TRAFFIC: and
(b) …THE CLOCK.’
***
Now, should a motorist gets a ‘…FLAT:’
Stop- THEY ARE NOT IN THAT.’ THEY MUST ‘…BEAT THE CLOCK TO GET BACK.’
***
WHY SCREW UP YOUR DARN FACE? …THAT’S A FACT.
***
It seems ‘…IDIOTIC’ to speak to ‘…STIFFER PENALTY.’
***
WHY?
POLICE DO NOT IMPOSE PENALTIES.’
***
NOW: ENFORCEMENT OF TRAFFIC LAW:
(i) ‘…EITHER IN THE ‘…SPIRIT OF LAW: …Minor infractions- Caution: …Warning: or
(ii) …LETTER OF LAW: …Serious infractions:
(a) ‘…RECKLESS DRIVING:
(b) …DANGEROUS DRIVING: and
(c) …EXCEEDING SPEED LIMIT APPLICABLE TO VEHICLE (Use of Traffic Speed Guns).
***
(d) ‘…RIGID ENFORCEMENT
(e) …SPARE NO ROD: …SPOIL NO CHILD:
***
(f) ‘…SUSPENSION OF DRIVER’S LICENCE:
***
HELP FROM THE MAGISTRACY
(g) ‘…REMOVAL: of
(i) ‘…GUILTY PLEA MAGISTRATES:
(ii) …INTIMIDATORY MAGISTRATES: and
(iii) …LAZY MAGISTRATES FROM THE BENCH.’
NO MOTORISTS SHALL BE PENALIZED FOR THESE.’
***
WHAT THE HELL…!
***
DRIVE:
(a) ‘…RESPONSIBLY: and
(c) …CAREFULLY.’
(d)…AVOID ‘…TRANQUILITY.’
***