St James taxi leader supports demerit rollout, seeks tweak for minor tickets

With anxiety rising that private and public-vehicle drivers could watch their licences vanish after stacking up demerit points, Dion Chance, president of the St James Taxi Association, has backed the new regime while pressing for changes.

The scheme, rooted in the Road Traffic Act 2018 and the Road Traffic Regulations, 2022, is set to start on October 1. Under it, motorists will bank points for a range of traffic breaches. Crossing the set limit may bring licence suspension and further sanctions.

Chance agrees with the thrust of the policy, yet says several listed offences are too slight to attract demerit points and ought to be reconsidered.

“I think that some of the offences should not really draw demerit points and they should be reviewed. A seat belt ticket should never ever get a demerit point,” he said.

Failing to wear a seat belt will cost two demerit points. The same two-point penalty applies where brake lights, parking lamps, reflectors or rear licence-plate lamps are not working properly. Chance maintains those infractions should not feed a tally that could ultimately cost someone their licence.

“If you have one blown taillight, they pull you over; that don’t need no demerit points, because you can leave your yard and it was OK. These things can happen; it’s electronic,” he said.

In his view, demerit points should hit conduct where drivers knowingly take risks that endanger others.

“A person deliberately, in their action, endanger other people, like careless driving, reckless driving, DUI, overtaking at an unbroken line, overtaking a line of traffic and stuff like that — those are things that should carry demerit points. But other things that are unavoidable can be without demerit,” Chance said.

Transport Minister Daryl Vaz has stressed that the framework is meant to foster safer habits and stronger observance of the rules.

“It is not intended as a punitive measure but as a road-safety tool that encourages responsible driving and helps reduce dangerous behaviour on our roads,” the minister pointed out.

Since news of the start date broke, many public passenger operators have voiced fear that piled-up points could cut off their income. Chance says that worry must not drown out the initiative’s aim: the rules are not aimed at taxi crews alone, but at safer roads for all.

“Driving out there, some of the things we see leaves one to think, and it’s unfortunate that taxi operators are acting as if it is personal to them,” he said. “It is for every user of the road. All we have to do is stop, look at what we are doing, and drive within the law,” he told THE STAR.