As Easter weekend approaches and the current road death toll is at 13 compared to 19 for the same period last year, the Land Transport Authority is urging all road users to exercise caution and vigilance on our roads as well as engage in responsible driving behaviours for the safety of all road users.
LTA Acting Chief Executive Officer Irimaia Rokosawa says they will continue to take a firm stance against reckless driving and repeated road traffic offences and so far they have had to cancel 98 drivers licenses and suspend 4 drivers licenses from 1st August 2023 to 1st March 2024.
Rokosawa says for the same period, the Authority has also counselled 18 licence holders for road traffic violations and unsafe driving behaviours.
Warning letters issued by LTA customer service officers over the counter for the same period totalled 921, of these 465 warning letters were issued in the central and eastern divisions, 384 in the west and 72 in the northern division.
The CEO says these robust actions were part of the Authority’s ongoing efforts to curb dangerous driving habits that posed significant risks to drivers, passengers and pedestrians.
He says continued reckless behaviours on Fiji’s roads would not be tolerated and the authority would not hesitate to suspend or cancel the driver's licence of repeat offenders.
He adds these measures aim to ensure the safety of all road users and reduce the incidence of preventable accidents due to speeding, and dangerous and careless driving behaviours.
Rokosawa says in October 2023, LTA initiated a crucial public consultation with stakeholders and members of the public to discuss several significant regulatory changes aimed at promoting road safety and enhancing driver licence standards.
These discussions included proposed changes encompassing the provisional driver licence conditions for P1 and P2 licence holders, demerit points, the criteria for obtaining a Public Service Vehicle driver licence, and the introduction of a mandatory defensive driving course for class 2 full driver license holders.
More recently in March 2024, the Authority conducted nationwide public consultations on three proposed measures - minimum qualification requirement for driving instructors permits, promoting gender balance within the PSV industry and mandatory drug test for new and renewal applications for driver licences.
These comprehensive consultations are aimed at gathering vital insights from all Fijians that will play a pivotal role in shaping policies that reflect the diverse needs of the community and enhance the overall efficiency and safety of drivers, passengers and pedestrians on our roads.
Additional information from January to December 2023, LTA has conducted 424 school education and awareness impacting 66,913 children, 134 public outreach impacting 32,736 people, 292 Office outreach impacting 10,998 people and 371 driver roadside awareness impacting 36,624 people.
For the same period, the authority has also conducted 15 Stop, Revive, Survive campaigns in partnership with Nestle impacting 6,428 people, 245 passenger Roadside Awareness impacting 60,688 people, 181 Pedestrian Roadside awareness impacting 19,369 people and 426 Community Outreach awareness impacting 107,764 people.
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