By DENISE MAYCOCK
Tribune Freeport Reporter
dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
THE top traffic cop said it may be time to change laws so authorities can seize uninsured cars after finding that fifty percent of vehicles in accidents this year were uninsured.
Chief Superintendent of Police David Lockhart, head of the traffic division, said the penalty for driving without insurance needs to be increased.
He said some 6,300 of the 8,000 traffic accidents this year happened in New Providence.
He said some people have been getting temporary cover notes to license their vehicles without completing the insurance process.
“Once the vehicle is licenced, they don’t renew it and continue to pay for the policy to last for one year and then they get into traffic crashes after the temporary cover has not expired,” he said.
“In order to curtail that, the law would have to change to make it mandatory that you have insurance for one year.”
“Maybe we need to move like our brothers and sisters in the Caribbean and the government to seize vehicles that are on the road that’s not insured because we’ve had traffic crashes this year involving fatal accidents where the person who was at fault for taking someone’s life had no insurance and there was no kind of compensation that could be recovered.”
CSP Lockhart said small, imported vehicles make up many uninsured cars.
He said police issued over 12,000 fixed penalty notices this year for offences.
“We’ve seen persons reported three, four times in one year for the same offences,” he said, “so the law has to be more stringent now to make the penalties more severe to curtail the offences.”
Forty-eight people have been killed in traffic accidents this year, according to The Tribune’s records.
Comments
IslandWarrior 4 months, 3 weeks ago
Nassau, Bahamas – Bahamas Auto Safe and Inspection Centre (PTI Bahamas) today commended Chief Superintendent of Police David Lockhart's recent statement acknowledging the issue of uninsured vehicles on the roads, a key concern addressed in PTI's 2019 Road Safety Proposal.
Chief Superintendent Lockhart's revelation that "fifty per cent" of vehicles in accidents this year were uninsured" aligns with PTI's proposal, highlighting the estimated 40% uninsured vehicle rate in 2019 and advocating for stricter enforcement. This statement serves as strong validation of PTI's proposed solutions, including:
Following Transport and Energy Minister Jobeth Coleby-Davis' earlier acknowledgement of uninsured vehicle concerns, this recent development reinforces the importance and urgency of implementing PTI's 2019 proposal. The Chief Superintendent's vocalization of these concerns further underscores the need for immediate action.
"For too long," states PTI Bahamas, "recommendations by Bahamians have been ignored. It is time to prioritize our people's safety and implement solutions validated by no less than the Chief of Police himself. Innocent Bahamians should not be the casualties of inaction."
ohdrap4 4 months, 3 weeks ago
Yet, they want to add tire aligment to the inspection process, punishing those who are insured.
What they should do is to end temporary insurance cover. And force those who want to switch before the year us up to visit road traffic, and pay a fee.
IslandWarrior 4 months, 3 weeks ago
Many seemingly "good" cars are Frankenstein creations stitched together from multiple wrecks.
It is a common misconception that vehicle inspections are designed to punish car owners, but this is far from the truth. Inspections are essential to ensure that vehicles are safe and roadworthy. The inspection report allows car owners to take corrective measures and bring their vehicles in line with safety regulations, thereby improving their efficiency. This ensures that the vehicle is fuel-efficient and safe to operate.
If a vehicle is found to be mechanically unsafe, and the owner is not aware of it, the vehicle will be deemed 'unroadworthy' and advised to be unfit from a technical mechanical point of view. Many vehicles, including salvage and junk vehicles, are imported into the Bahamas without being checked for mechanical and structural integrity. The United Nations has labelled Africa, The Bahamas, and other "third world" countries as "dumping grounds" for the world's used and unwanted cars.
It is important to remember that just because a vehicle starts and drives does not necessarily mean it is safe to operate. Many seemingly "good" cars are, in fact, Frankenstein creations stitched together from multiple wrecks in a salvage operation that is completed to look visually appealing but is unsafe. A technical inspection can expose this to owners and could be a valuable service before purchasing a potentially dangerous vehicle.
Most used and old vehicles in the Bahamas will fit an inspection category of - Pass and Advise; however, some will undoubtedly fail an inspection.
themessenger 4 months, 3 weeks ago
The new and latest trend is to rent cheap rental cars, they're already insured, aren't they, and the occupants couldn't care less whether or not they mash your car from the way they drive them. These are also used for criminal activities as they offer a certain degree of anonymity to the users.
bahamianson 4 months, 3 weeks ago
Yet the 50 % get licensed. That means people in road traffic should have large houses and fancy cars. The police need to investigate the road traffic department and see whom have inv3stments worth more than their incomes
IslandWarrior 4 months, 3 weeks ago
An old story: the country's Auditor General published a report on the Road Traffic Department years ago. The report suggested that the department could be losing up to $20 million annually through fraud. However, the then Minister of Transport, Glenys Hanna Martin, rejected the report and accused the auditor of making guesses about road traffic.
The Report suggests that:
If a forecast were performed based on the total number of licence plates produced and issued, approximately 374,000 plates, to the public as of June 30, 2015, one would estimate that the motor vehicle licence revenue should be at a minimum of $73 million dollars (374,000 x $195.00) instead of the reported average of $26 million dollars per annum. If the approximate number of 374,000 plates were reduced by 50%, there would still be an estimated loss of $10 million dollars as compared to the actual recorded revenue noted herein.
When our company conducted research preparing our 2019 Road Safety Proposal, we were advised to "watch our backs."
Glenys Hanna Martin: http://www.tribune242.com/news/2016/m..." rel="nofollow">http://www.tribune242.com/news/2016/m...
http://www.tribune242.com/news/2017/m...">Hanna Martin accuses auditor of guesswork on road traffic
Road Traffic Department Audit Report https://www.bahamas.gov.bs/wps/wcm/co...">https://www.bahamas.gov.bs/wps/wcm/co...
Bahamians are fast asleep on the level of corruption and would be surprised 'who knows, who knows' who is involved.
DWW 4 months, 3 weeks ago
and nothing will change
hrysippus 4 months, 3 weeks ago
The Bahamas has one of the highest rates of police persons per capita of population; with this truly shocking admittance of the failure of the Police Road Traffic Persons ability to enforce the most basic tenets of traffic enforcement perhaps the country needs 6 or 9 more Assistant Police Commissioners, and at least 19 more Superintendents, and 38 more Assistant Superindendents, to get the job done. Whatever we have now just ain't working, it would seem.
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