Time to put much more than traffic fines on the spot

Traffic police stop speeding vehicles along Nyeri-Karatina highway on January 26, 2016. PHOTO | FILE

What you need to know:

  • If it is to extract vehicles that obstruct the flow of traffic, the process will get a rousing cheer.
  • So, too, if it is to weed out actively dangerous behaviour.
  • Or if there are reasonable grounds to suspect the vehicle is being used to commit a crime, or is in the very act of breaking a safety-critical law.

All responsible motorists will welcome the planned resumption of on-the-spot fines for minor offences, so long as …

… Enforcement is warranted, the levels of punishment are fair and proportionate, the process is quick and sure, and the money goes to the right place.

Basic stuff. But none of those conditions was met first time around, so all motorists will be looking forward to hearing what has changed.

“Warranted”? It is not possible to check every car on every journey for every possible offence. Roadside checks will have to be selective in where, when and why they choose to stop some vehicles while others pass by. What will be the basis of that selection, and why?

If it is to extract vehicles that obstruct the flow of traffic, the process will get a rousing cheer. So, too, if it is to weed out actively dangerous behaviour. Or if there are reasonable grounds to suspect the vehicle is being used to commit a crime, or is in the very act of breaking a safety-critical law.

Are there other reasons for interrupting any journey of any motorist going about his lawful business? If so, what are they?

Next, what does “fair and proportionate” mean? Motorists already know what they think it means; what they need to know is what the police think it means. If that is a secret, why? If it’s not a secret, then let’s hear the answer

And hope that it includes a clear distinction between a simple/minor mistake and wilful non-compliance; between a breach of a technical protocol and an action that presents a real physical danger. It would be reassuring if some of that was reflected in “proportionate” levels of penalties for minor offences.

As all the offences are “minor”, perhaps they should all have the same “minor” penalty. If not, then on what basis is one minor offence considered more serious than another, and is that “proportionately” reflected in the size of the fine?

Anyone who thinks that is the position today belongs to a very small minority of opinion.

Then, “quick and sure”. How long should the process take, generally, if the motorist is presented with the prosecutory evidence, immediately apologises for his mistake and accepts the charge?

And what recourse does a motorist have if it takes a lot longer than that? Or if there is no evidence? The penalty imposed by law, after all, is just an amount of money — not interminable waiting as well. And the very term “on-the-spot” means “there and then”. Doesn’t it?

Finally, getting the money to the right place. Our mobile money systems (among the very best in the world) make that extremely easy … if there is one universal paybill number, and the account is the vehicle’s registration.

We already know what anything other than that leads to. Perhaps, much more than fines, should be put on the spot.