No more grace period for driver’s licence
THE Joint Select Committee (JSC) of Parliament reviewing the Road Traffic Bill elected to support a police recommendation to remove the 48-hour grace period for motorists to produce their driver’s licence.
A technical policy sub-committee included the recommendation in their report, which was reviewed during meeting of the JSC at Gordon House, on Wednesday.
The Bill, as tabled in Parliament, had maintained that: “A person shall not be deemed to have committed an offence (under sub-section 91) or (3) if he satisfied the constable as to his identity and produces his driver’s licence within 48 hours at a police station.”
However, the technical sub-committee said it found that the police were having difficulties following up on persons who fail to produce a licence, and would need to streamline their systems and procedures to manage the issue, if the 48-hour grace period procedure continues.
The sub-committee said, however, that it understood the Bill’s attempt to balance the importance of being able to readily verify if a driver is licensed to operate a motor vehicle, against the recognition that persons may genuinely forget to carry their licence on their person, as reflected in the 48-hour provision.
The JSC seemed to be split on the issue until Opposition spokesman on national security, Derrick Smith, gave the police his support.
Smith said that if the new Bill is aiming at changing the current culture of the system, and it made no sense retaining the current provisions which are not working.
“What is the point of going along with a situation that exists that, to my mind, we are dissatisfied with. I disagree with my colleagues. They must have their licences on them,” Smith insisted.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (Traffic), Gary McKenzie, welcomed the support, stating that there was a misconceptions that Jamaicans have a culture of not travelling with their driver’s licence.
“That is not true. The majority of citizens out there they have their driver’s licence,” DSP McKenzie said.
Despite the insistence of some members, including Opposition MP Delroy Chuck and Government Senator Navel Clarke, to retain the 48-hour grace period, the majority of members eventually agreed to go along with removing it.
