Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Eli Zakour says a sharp drop in ticketing should dispel the misconception that the government is using higher fines to raise revenue.
Speaking on Trinidad and Tobago Today, he said instead of a spike many expected, fixed penalty tickets issued dropped sharply on a year-on-year comparison.
“Over 12,000 fixed penalty notices were given out in January 2025, and over 7,000 in 2026 January. So, less tickets were given out.”
Minister Zakour reiterated that it was never intended as a cash grab.
“This was never a revenue exercise. If this works as intended, the government will collect less. And we saw it in January with 4,000 less tickets being issued.”
The Minister argued that since the implementation of the revised traffic fines, compliance is up, violations are down, and the numbers illustrate that the system is working.
“If you compare January 2025 to January 2026, road fatalities are down 44%. Regarding vehicle inspections, 27,000 persons inspected their vehicles in January 2025, close to 70,000 inspected theirs in January of 2026.”
But even more updated data from the Police Service show a year-on-year comparison as of February 10th, showing an even bigger dent in road fatalities.
“I received some stats just about an hour ago from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service. For the same period, last year to now, road fatalities are down 62%.”
With Carnival just days away, arguably one of the busiest and most dangerous periods on the nation’s roads, the Minister urged motorists to continue being responsible behind the wheel.
“I wish everyone a safe and enjoyable Carnival. Please, if you’re going out, please have a dedicated driver. Please do not drink and drive. And please do not use your phone while you’re driving.”