No deterrence! Fines for riders not wearing helmet too low — Fraser
Opposition legislator Julian Fraser has said he believes the considerable number of motor scooter riders not complying with the law to wear protective helmets is partly because of the low fines associated with the offence.
According to the territory’s road safety regulations, the fine for an individual riding a motorcycle without a helmet is $50.
“This guy riding the bike is only concerned about one thing — looking good. He figures the amount of girls that will see him and like him because he wasn’t wearing a helmet. He isn’t going to wear a helmet, and police officers are not going to chase him either,” Fraser said.
Fraser said most police officers neglect to enforce the territory’s road laws because of an indolent attitude towards policing — particularly as it relates to road safety regulations.
He said: “They allow things to happen because they just don’t want to be bothered.”
READ: ‘Unsafe to chase bikers, lawless riders being prosecuted’
‘Riders seem to own the road’
Fraser was at the time responding to a female constituent at a recent community meeting at the Valerie O Thomas Community Centre in Sea Cow’s Bay.
At the time, the resident described scooter riders as having too much leeway to operate recklessly on the road.
“They seem to own the road,” she said. “They can come between the cars and then go ahead even if the light is red. No police in sight, nobody to give them a ticket, no helmets on, nothing.”
She argued that the territory should be concerned about the cost factor associated with these non-abiding scooter riders.
“If he falls off the bike and survives, who is it costing in terms of his healthcare? So all those factors we need to look at. But we just let them go and do whatever and next thing we are flying them out to Puerto Rico, Jamaica, wherever because we can’t handle the type of care that they need here. So it costs, so this is why we have to look at the cost, do we want to deal with the after-effects?” she added.
Recent road crashes
Recently, one scooter rider died while another motorist is in critical condition in a Trinidad-based hospital following two separate accidents on Tortola last weekend.
Keron Andrews, the young man who was involved in a near-fatal accident in Paraquita Bay late last Friday is now soliciting the assistance of crowdfunding to foot his hospital bills that have amounted to $25,000.
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FRASER FOR PREMIER 2023
There should be no fines for not wearing a helmet as well as no fines for cutting between cars and running red lights. This way the population of the do nothing lazy offspring drug users and peddlers will be greatly reduced. The Darwin affect!!!!
finally a politician how makes sense! Now implement higher fines and start policing…
I’ve often wondered why the police (if not hiding) ignore the offenders of traffic regulations. Guess it’s doesn’t take priority over napping and fetching a takeaway food order.
Dammit something must be wrong! I’m in agreement with Fraser on this one…
Riding without a helmet should equal seizure of the vehicle!
No helmet = No motorcycle.
Simple.
Off with his head….
Or her head…..
Honestly, the fines are not the problem. The root problem is that there is no enforcement of the laws. You can state a fine of $1,000,000.00 if you want if you don’t enforce it it means nothing.
Setup some movable cameras and start issuing tickets….should pay for itself.
Are the fines too low? Is this borne out because they are levied and the perpetrators simply say no worries man, my daddy rich and he pay for me?
Or more likely are they not levied?
If they got stopped, they could get checked for insurance too. And licence. And guns…
One of them drove the wrong way down the dual carriageway past me the other day.
The scooter men have no respect or fear for the law. The quad bikers even less so.
No helmet automatic forfeiture of the bike. But officer do not chase them or you could loose your job.
E,imitate any NHI coverage for injuries sustained operations scooter without a helmet.
Gets a bit messy leaving the victims there though. Smelly after a while too.
Bring back some of the U.K. police to the Bvi for One YEAR , and you see a change. Remember Irma .
What fines? When was the last time that someone was ever prosecuted for not wearing a helmet? I bet there are zero fines which have been handed down by the Magistrate in the last 10 years for not wearing a helmet. Our police officers are simply not interested in enforcing this law.
Operating a vehicle and riding a motorcycle, scooter, bicycle ….etc are inherently dangerous and are more so when they are operated unsafely and recklessly. Too many sons and daughters of the soil have been injured and died prematurely due to riding scooters recklessly. These avoidable injuries and deaths have imposed much pain and suffering on families, friends, co-workers…….etc and have put an undue burden on an already stressed medical system.
Further, the reckless, supposedly fearless, invincible cool young scooter riders pose a serious risk to themselves, pedestrians, other motorists, law enforcement…..etc. Walls, fences, asphalt, concrete, trees, vehicles and other objects always win the battle when an exposed and fragile body collide with them. Too much blood and treasure are being lost prematurely and senselessly and a change, a behavioral change is needed. Both individual(s), NGOs, institutions, communities and government must actively participate in the behavioral change.
Moreover, to young riders, though scooters are a low cost mode of transportation, when ridden recklessly, they can result in serious injury(s) and death. A change in attitude and behaviour improve your chances of avoiding injuries and premature death. Take some proactive behavioral changes and live, ie, 1)wear a helmet with face shield, 2)wear proper clothing and other personal protective equipment, 3)obey the rules of the road, traffic laws (respect them and they will respect you), 4)ride defensively……etc.
Government too has its role to play in effecting the behavioral change to keep the territory’s young men and women, its national treasure, alive. First, it (RVIPF) must enforce the traffic laws. Secondly, the failure to adhere to traffic laws must be stiffened to serve as a deterrence. And thirdly, new and current licensees must attend and complete a public education and outreach motor cycle riders programme seminar.
More importantly parents, families, guardians, community, village……..etc too must get actively engaged in effecting the behavioral change that is needed to keep our young men and women alive. Let’s make no more premature and senseless deaths and funerals our goal. If we sit back and do nothing, we are also complicit in this national tragedy. The size of the bikes are not the problems; it is the riders reckless action that is the problem.
Real talk. I hear behavioral change, community, government, preventing major injuries and premature death, defensive riding, obeying the traffic rules, .etc being shouted from the mountain top. Let some do dis ting and save our sons and daughters from premature deaths and our lasting pain and suffering.
Implement checkpoints every now and then. Also, police should have motorbikes as well.