Fiji police issue 18,000 tickets for speeding

FIJI – Speeding continues to top traffic offences committed on roads around Fiji as police say they have recorded more than 18,000 speeding bookings since January this year.

Director traffic Senior Superintendent of Police Mahesh Mishra said they were implementing operations targeting speeding.

Mishra said they were looking at awareness programmes as a way of addressing the problem.

“The key element missing in the equation is voluntary compliance on the part of vehicle operators,” he said.

“Most drivers tend to learn their lessons after they are involved in an accident, which is a bad thing because it leads to deaths and injuries. People need to have a sense of compliance to adhere to the speed limits for certain zones on our roads.”

Mishra said despite their pleading with drivers to adhere to road rules they continued to turn a deaf ear to their advice.

“This is the sad reality and we need to change people’s attitudes,” he said.

“Vehicle operators need to be wary of the other road users who are also on the road because road rules are made to ensure safety of all.

“While our awareness programme progresses, we will continue to monitor our roads with our counterparts the Land Transport Authority.” - FT