The great injustices faced by motorists

THE EDITOR, Madam:

I wish that I could offer some comfort to the writer of the Letter of the Day on July 30, titled ‘Who is speaking on behalf of the people?’ He detailed his experience at the Sangster International Airport where he was issued a traffic ticket that, in his view, was most unfair. Unfortunately, I can only add to his sorrows.

First of all, it is a common practice of the police that once they look at your address on the driver’s licence and see that you are from out of town, a ticket will very likely be issued. This is because it is most likely that the person will not travel back to the location to challenge the ticket, due to the cost and time involved, just as you have stated. It is also unlikely that any witness you may have will be willing to take on this inconvenience.

Second, it won’t be “losing a day of work and paying for fuel and tolls”. The writer can expect to be attending court for a minimum of four times to as much as six times, before the case will be concluded. This has been the experience of persons who dare to challenge a ticket issued to them. Don’t bother trying to explain to the judge about how far you have to travel and the time and expense associated with it. This is most likely of no concern to him or her. Also, make sure not to miss or be late for your trial, as this will likely result in a bench warrant being issued for your arrest. This is so, despite the fact that the police personnel can be absent on multiple occasions with no explanation, and no penalty is applied to them.

Third, unless you have irrefutable evidence of your innocence, please expect the judge to side with the police and find you guilty. This has been my experience and the experience of many persons whom have sought to challenge a traffic ticket, especially if you are not using a lawyer to argue on your behalf.

Sadly, all the points which you have made in your letter are blatantly true. This status quo is not going to change by our leaders. It will only change when persons who are convinced of their innocence decide to suffer the inconvenience and flood the courts with cases, while agitating for the desired changes to be implemented at the political level.

A. ALLEN

aalallen@outlook.com