Praneeta Prakash 
The Land Transport Authority has unveiled a troubling spike in monthly traffic-related offenses, with an alarming total of 16,000 incidents recorded.
Acting Chief Executive Irimaia Rokosawa says the troubling aspect of this statistic is that a substantial 12,000 violations are directly attributed to red light speed cameras.
Expressing deep concern over the scale of violations emanating from red-light speed cameras, Rokosawa emphasizes the urgency of addressing the root causes.
“For red light speed cameras, the offense tags the vehicle, but there might be a different person sitting on the vehicle. There are provisions in the law for the vehicle owner to transfer the TINS from him as the vehicle owner to the driver, but the culture is that the vehicle owner continues to pay the fine.
The Land Transport Authority and Police Force have joined hands for the festive season operation which will run till 20th January.
Police Chief of Operations, ACP Livai Driu, is warning drivers to beware.
“We cannot undo the tragedies that have unfolded this year, but we can certainly learn from them. Let these incidents serve as a stark reminder that a momentary lapse in judgment can lead to a lifetime of regret.”
The focus of the joint operation is to address the main causes of accidents and fatalities, which are speeding, pedestrians at fault, and dangerous driving, contributing to the 72 fatalities reported this year.
Stream the best of Fiji on VITI+. Anytime. Anywhere.
