TODAY the new Road Traffic Act will go to the Senate. The Act, if approved, will result in major changes in the legislation regarding drivers in upcoming months.

Paula Fletcher, executive director of the National Road Safety Council (NRSC), like numerous other road safety advocates, is in favour of the new Road Traffic Act.

According to her, for years, drivers have been finding loopholes in the current legislation that has allowed them to get away with a number of violations. This, she believes, has contributed to the annual increase in road crashes in Jamaica.

“Although our current legislation requires that all drivers of motor vehicles, including motorcyclists, be licensed, there are some flaws which drivers use to bend the law and have been getting away with for years,” Fletcher said.

She said one of the most prominent practices include motorcyclists continuously using their learner’s permit and not becoming licensed for years.

“For a motor car, a learner driver must have a learner’s permit and be accompanied by a licensed driver. However, according to the current law, in the case of a motorcyclist, the learner driver may continue to drive his motorcycle indefinitely as long as he has a valid learner’s permit and does not carry a pillion rider (passenger). Since there is no restriction on the number of renewals of a learner’s permit, learner drivers are never forced to acquaint themselves with the rules of the road until they do the driving test” Fletcher said in a recent interview.

During 2015, 111 motorcycle drivers and 8 pillion passengers died in road crashes. The 111 motorcyclist deaths represent a 71 per cent increase over 2014.

“Particularly in western parishes, there has been a significant increase in motorcyclists on our roads in recent years. This fact, combined with most motorcycle drivers not being required to prove their knowledge of the road code before taking to the roads, probably explains the dramatic increase in fatalities among this group,” she further stated.

The new legislation will require that all learner drivers (including motorcycle learners) pass the Road Code Test before receiving a learner’s permit. As such, they should be better equipped to use the roads while learning to drive. Additionally, the Island Traffic Authority will publish a Motorcycle Learner Driver’s Manual that will outline information a learner should know in order to pass the road code and driving tests.

“We anticipate, with required knowledge of the road code, better training and new testing procedures by the Island Traffic Authority, that more motorcycle drivers will be properly licensed and will learn better road use practices,” Fletcher said.

The new legislation will go to the Senate today. If passed, it will go to the Governor General for his signature, signifying the ratification of this legislation into law. Then the Minister of Transport, Works and Housing will indicate when parts or all of the provisions will become effective for enforcement. However, prior to enforcement, the Ministry of Transport, Works and Housing will undertake a public education programme so that members of the public will be informed of what is required under the new law.