Our crisis of literacy
January 21, 2026
Journey to the Oasis
January 21, 2026
By Klysha Best
Amidst a wave of public debate over recently increased traffic fines, a senior police official has framed the steep penalties not as revenue collection, but as a critical tool for “injury and harm reduction” and long-term cultural change on the nation’s roads.
Sergeant Brent Batson, coordinator of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) Strategic Road Safety Project, detailed the logic behind the State’s decision to hike fines on over 80 per cent of traffic violations, with some penalties rising by 100 per cent.
“The State has taken it upon itself to try and coerce persons even more to obey road traffic laws by increasing these fines,” Batson stated. He emphasised that from a policing perspective, the goal is compliance, not revenue. “If this is aiding us in getting the public to comply… we welcome it.”
He noted that long lines have been forming at inspection garages, not because the law changed, but because the fine for non-compliance jumped.
“The law hadn’t changed. So what changed? Well, what changed was the consequence,” he explained. The fine for driving an uninspected vehicle doubled from $1,000 to $2,000. “For some Trinbagonians, they’re like, yeah, okay, all right, 1,000. 2,000? No, no, no, no, no. I’m working too hard to give the State that amount of money… So that deterrent effect already has worked to coerce people to comply….without us actually ticketing.”
With the leverage of new digital systems, the TTPS can now pinpoint the most common infractions. The current top five include: Failed Vehicle Inspection; Breach of Traffic Signs (e.g., illegal parking); Excessively Dark Tint; and Failure to Wear a Seatbelt (the most prevalent violation).
Batson offered simple, procedural advice to avoid fines: “If you follow, sit, click, and then drive, you’ll never get a seatbelt ticket.”
He defended fines for minor defects and technical faults like broken lights or indicators as essential for night-time safety. “If you’re on the roadway and a person has non-functioning brake lights, it’s a risk to the persons behind because I’m not aware when you’re stopping,” Batson said, urging personal responsibility.
“Before I go on the road, you better believe I’m going to do a walk around… I’ll do what I can to make sure I’m not getting those hefty fines.”
He insisted drivers do the same and perform pre-drive checks of lights and signals, framing these “night violations” as basic, global safety standards.
Acknowledging that “culture change is not overnight,” Batson cited the dramatic shift in driving under the influence (DUI) behaviour as a model.
He recalled a time when a 25-seater bus would be filled with detained drunk drivers after major events.
“Now, everybody’s using rideshare, calling taxis… That’s culture change,” he said. He directly linked this to severe financial consequences, noting first-offense DUI fines have risen to $24,000. “The risk now far outweighs the benefits.”
Batson also directly tackled several public criticisms like “ticket quotas”.
He firmly denied their existence, clarifying that all fine revenue goes to the national consolidated fund. “There’s zero benefit for us to go out there and maximise our ticket issuance.”
He acknowledged officers have discretion, but Batson strongly advised against relying on it. “I would not go out there and be non-compliant, hoping that you meet… officers that’s going to use that discretion.”
Another issue, poor road infrastructure. A common public complaint is that fines are rising while road conditions remain poor.
However, Batson redirected focus to individual control. “What do you have control over?… You have control over your vehicle and maintaining it.”
The conversation concluded on a sobering note. Batson referenced 109 road traffic deaths in the previous year—a reduction, but still “a lot of families disrupted.”
“All that we try to do is save lives and keep families together,” Batson said. He framed the new fines as part of a broader coercive strategy to achieve that goal, reminding all road users: “Your job as a citizen is to obey and comply, especially when it comes to rules of the road.”
