Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Eli Zakour says Cabinet has approved proposed amendments to sections 80, 82, 88A and 88D of the Motor Vehicle Road Traffic Act (48:50) to introduce mandatory fixed-penalty warnings for specific traffic violations.
Following long lines at Licensing Offices this week, Minister Zakour said the government will be going to Parliament in the coming weeks to introduce the mandatory fixed-penalty warnings for specific traffic violations
He listed the 18 traffic violations that will carry mandatory fixed-penalty warnings:
Item 35: Absence of identification lights for the illumination of vehicle identification marks at night — three days to remedy the defect.
Item 37: Number of passengers not printed on the right-hand side door of a taxi — three days.
Item 39: Absence of TARE and MGW markings on a vehicle — three days.
Item 40: Vehicle with defective fittings, such as a windscreen — seven days.
Item 41: Vehicle without a silencer or fitted with cut-outs — three days.
Item 42: Unauthorised lights fitted to the front or rear of a vehicle — three days.
Item 43: Unauthorised letters or figures displayed on a vehicle — three days.
Item 44: Vehicle without two headlamps — three days.
Item 45: Vehicle without parking lights — three days.
Item 46: Vehicle without tail lights — three days.
Item 48: Absence of a left-hand drive notice affixed to the appropriate vehicle — three days.
Item 63: Vehicle without a horn — three days.
Item 64: Permitting excess sparks, smoke, or visible vapour from a vehicle — seven days.
Item 72: Vehicle without a reflective mirror — three days.
Item 74: Use of a noisy vehicle — seven days.
Item 76: Use of a vehicle without windscreen wipers or with defective wipers — three days.
Item 79: Public service vehicle without a spare tyre — three days.
Item 82: Placement of advertisements on the side windows of a taxi — three days.
Minister Zakour also explained how the new penalty warning system will work: “If you’re stopped by a constable, a TTPS officer, a licence officer or traffic warden and there’s a defect on your vehicle, one of these 18 items I just mentioned, you will get a written, a printed warning. You have three or seven working days to fix the defect. Once it’s fixed, you will go to any police station or licence office in the country, present yourself and your vehicle. Once it’s confirmed the defect has been fixed, you’ll get a written receipt that you will upload to our portal, and the police officers as well would submit that receipt, so a two-tier system, to a central unit, and the warning will be cancelled. If you do not present yourself, the warning automatically becomes a fixed penalty notice.”
Minister Zakour said that data showed more than 12,100 fixed penalties were issued in 2024 for the same offences, while in 2025 the number exceeded 10,600.