NEW TRAFFIC FINES IS A RECIPE FOR CORRUPTION

Sir,

To introduce such unrealistic fines in an environment of poverty encourages lawlessness of both citizens and law enforcement. Many motoring citizens had at various points complained about the excessive patrols of traffic police on Swazi roads making driving an exasperating experience. Some citizens have gone so far as to describe the behaviour of the traffic police as predatory, as they await motorists with the viciousness and malice of a bird of prey.

Many citizens who by virtue of being self –employed use their vehicles for running their businesses to put food on the table, educate their children and provide shelter, are harassed at every street corner for real and imagined infractions by the police. It appears that being fully aware that the motoring public is barely able to pay a E60 fine, the police are hedging their bets that with a higher fine threshold of E500 or E2 000, defaulting motorists will be willing to raise their bribes maybe to half of that or higher, making the police an accessory and if not the solicitors.

Parliament and the police are also aware of myriad of issues that contribute to bad driving and road carnage on our roads, that need their equal attention. There is the decrepit state of our roads, the potholes that worsen with every rainy season, putting motorists at risk, poor rain water drainage when it rains, lack of road markings at vital points (where some bad drivers take advantage by taking the lions’ share of the road to themselves).

There is also foliage and trees covering road signs, such as stop signs and give-way signs that are supposed to be in plain view to the motorists that municipalities should be regulating. Topping this is the alleged corruption at VID that sells licences to motorists who are not competent to be on the road or allowing road unfit vehicles to be on the road.

These and more issues are likely to be the greater contributors to road carnage, not just an absent- minded motorist.
On what basis will these fines be increased? Out of every 10 cars passing through a robot, how many motorists would you find with minimum E2 000 in their wallets? Probably one on average. Fines must not just be punitive but affordable to be effective. The purpose of increasing fines should not be maximising revenue collection but policing. This is a recipe for more corruption.

Londoloza Dlamini

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