By: Precious Mills
BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (JANUARY 2018) – Information about a motor vehicles amendment Act that has being circulated via social media and passed off as relating to St.Kitts-Nevis is not true.
The details of the piece though factual, however, does not apply to the Federation but rather to Trinidad and Tobago.
On the local scene, some residents and citizens quickly dismissed the strange information that contained lump sum monetary penalties as well as imprisonment timeframes for traffic offenses while others who believed what they read criticised the stiffness of the rules and regulations.
“1. Obstructing a traffic warden on duty or failing to comply with his/her directions can attract a $10,000 fine and/or six months in prison (fine raised from $300). This is not limited to motorists” read part of the article.
An online search for the contents of the circulated information showed the original article posted by a media house in Trinidad and Tobago called Loop (www.looptt.com) with the headline ‘10 things to know about the Motor Vehicles Amendment Act’, dated 9th June 2017.
That article, complemented with photos in the educational piece included a photograph of a police officer using a radar gun which is used to calculate driving speed of motorists.
“4. Violating the speed limit has a maximum fine of $3, 000 and varies based on how far over the speed limit a motorist travels. It is a fixed penalty fine and motorists can accumulate a maximum of 6 demerits” was used with that particular picture.
When contacted, a source from the Traffic Department said there was no concerns expressed from members of the public about the circulated information.
“To be honest when I heard it, I did not take it on because I know it was no way for St.Kitts-Nevis. I know that for anything like that to happen, it would have had to go through the House (of Assembly),” he/she said.
No official information was sent out from the Police Public Relations Department to officially refute the information. However, a source from that Department said the information was seen and that it was learnt that such applied elsewhere in the Caribbean region.