By Kimone Witter
Minister without portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister, Floyd Green, says in another week, there should be a resolution to the issues relating to the child restraint system regulation in the Road Traffic Act.
Mr. Green, who has oversight responsibility for the National Road Safety Council, says this regulation and others which have been raised in the public domain will be reviewed.
The National Road Safety Council will meet on Thursday to begin the review of those regulations and the monitoring of the implementation of the Road Traffic Act.
Speaking with Radio Jamaica News on Tuesday, Mr. Green said more clarity will be brought to the issue of the child restraint system and the requirements in the law.
"I think a lot of people saw it as automatically meaning that you would have to have car seats and I don't think it was ever the intention of the law, as it would have to depend on the size of the child to determine the appropriate restraint," he said.
He admitted that the regulation needs "greater definition" and suggested the government may consider a special exemption for public passenger vehicles.
Mr. Green said the Road Safety Council has also taken note of the discontent surrounding the towing of motor vehicles on toll roads, which attracts a $20,000 fine.
While he noted that this "has always been the law since we've had highways and toll roads", he said the regulation will be reviewed, and if necessary, a proposal for change will be submitted.
The minister said there will be a public education campaign on the provisions of the new Road Traffic Act.
"What we have seen is that there are a number of areas that were existing law for decades in the Road Traffic Act but because they were not being implemented or enforced, a lot people seem unaware of those provisions, and as such, we will have to go through that process of not only further educating people on existing provisions, but also looking back at some of those things that have been part of policy for the last two or three decades."
The campaign will be led by the National Road Safety Council.
