There has been an overall 22 per cent drop in road fatalities as a result of various initiatives, Transport Minister Stephen Cadiz said yesterday.Replying to questions in the Senate, Cadiz said for the first quarter of the year there also has been a 15 per cent drop in such fatalities over the corresponding period for last year.Citing factors responsible, he listed cable barriers, which have prevented 87 fatal accidents, walkovers, traffic wardens, high visibility of highway patrol police and cameras at red lights.
Cadiz said there was a camera testing station at the Wrightson Road traffic light near the Parliament, which takes a picture of a car's licence plate if it breaks the light but he said no tickets would be issued to drivers in the mail since legislation for that was still in the works.He said legislation for laser speed guns to track speeding vehicles would be brought to Parliament in the next couple weeks. The laser was an improvement on radar guns, which were limited in scope, he said.
Lasers would target a speeding vehicle out of a group, take a photo of the plate and note its speed and the speed limit for the area.Cadiz said procurement for that would be via public tender with the Vehicle Maintenance Company of T&T (VMCOTT) as procurement agency.The cost in this year's budget for this was $12 million to $14 million. Specifications would be determined by police and police would undergo certification training to use the devices, he added.