DR Omar Davies, Minister of Transport, Works and Housing, says collaboration between government agencies, as well as between the agencies and the private sector, will be crucial to the success of the new road traffic bill.

“The deliberation of the Joint Select Committee has brought fully into focus the extent to which the most important goals of this bill can only be realised through collaboration,” Davies, who chairs the committee, told the House of Representatives recently.

He said the public sector collaborators would include: Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ); the police traffic department; the Island Traffic Authority (ITA); the National Works Agency (NWA); the Police Information Computer Centre, which will have a lot to do with identifying motorists, and the court system.

He said that his ministry was also exploring collaboration with private sector companies, including general insurance companies, particularly in the sharing of information on the motorists.

“I have seen some alarming numbers on the difference between the number of insured vehicles on the road, as per the records of the insurance companies and the number of vehicles which other counts have suggested,” Davies said.

“There are some things not totally kosher happening in terms of the registration and the insurance certification and, hence, this collaboration between the public and private sector, will be important,” he added.

He said that the passage of the legislation is just the beginning of the process, which should aid in increasing law and order in the society and to help counter its worst examples of indiscipline and disorder.

The Road Traffic Bill 2015 is expected to be passed before Parliament takes its Independence break. However, in the meantime, the original Bill has been withdrawn and a new Bill with the amendments is to be tabled.