Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - Hier 05:59

PM acting decisively to save lives

THE EDITOR: In April 2024, then opposition leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar stated on a UNC platform that, if elected, the UNC would reduce traffic fines. By December 2025 – more than a year and a half later – some traffic fines were increased. Critics have rushed to label this inconsistency. It is not. What changed were the conditions on our roads. Recklessness escalated. Traffic fatalities remained unacceptably high. According to newspaper reports, the increase in road safety fines was driven by “mounting traffic fatalities, with 109 road deaths recorded so far this year.” That figure alone demands decisive action from any responsible government. The Prime Minister did not mislead the public, nor did she act improperly. Leadership is not about clinging rigidly to past positions while circumstances deteriorate. Real leadership requires the courage to reassess policy and act decisively when lives are at risk. Across the world, countries that take road safety seriously rely on strong deterrent penalties to curb dangerous behaviour. TT is no exception. There is no malicious intent or hidden agenda behind these measures. The Prime Minister is responding to a national crisis and placing public safety above political convenience. As for claims that the fines are “too high,” it must be stated plainly: fines are meant to deter. For deterrence to work, penalties must be meaningful. No citizen is compelled to pay a high fine unless they choose to break the law. The focus should not be on the fines, but on driving responsibly and obeying the laws of TT. Saving lives is not a political talking point. It is a duty. And on this issue the Prime Minister is doing exactly what leadership requires. LEISHA S DHORAY via e-mail The post PM acting decisively to save lives appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.