The long-awaited regulations for the Road Traffic were tabled in Parliament on Tuesday by new Transport and Mining Minister Audley Shaw.
Passage of the regulations by Parliament will pave the way for the implementation of the Road Traffic Act that was approved in 2018 with far-reaching changes to tackle significant loopholes in the current law.
However, despite its passage, four years ago the law could not be implemented without the accompanying regulations.
The regulations will not be debated and passed at this time as the House of Representatives will be prorogued on February 7.
This will pave the way for the presentation of the Throne Speech by the Governor-General on February 10 which signals the start of a new legislative year.
The 2018 Road Traffic Act which is not yet introduced, outlaws the use of hand-held devices by drivers and provides stiffer penalties for speeding, the failure to wear seatbelts and other traffic offences.
Under the new regulations to be debated during the upcoming parliamentary year, a motorist or car dealer who reset, alters or otherwise interferes with the odometer of a motor vehicle with the intent to change the recorded distance could be slapped with a fine not exceeding $250,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding five months on conviction in a Parish Court.
Operating a public passenger vehicle on a road in contravention of the requirements under the regulation could see an offender being fined up to $50,000 or a term not exceeding one month on conviction in a Parish Court.
The regulations also set out stiff fines for persons who unlawfully interfere with an electronic enforcement device or its proper functioning.
If convicted of this offence in a parish court, an individual could be fined up to $200,000 or be sentenced to a term not exceeding four months.
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