Reports: Traffic Fines Set To DOUBLE From 1st January, 2026
UPDATE 2: Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, Eli Zakour, who signed Legal Notice No. 471, said the penalties were intended to discourage dangerous behaviour on the nation’s roads. He added that if the fines succeed in reducing offences, Government revenue from traffic tickets would decline over time, not increase. Meanwhile, Minister of Public Utilities, Barry Padarath, has dismissed criticism of the increased fines, insisting the move was not about revenue generation but deterrence.
UPDATE: The increases outlined in Legal Notice No. 471 have been published in the Gazette on Christmas Day, amending the Ninth Schedule of the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act. They will come into effect on 1st January, 2026.
There are unconfirmed reports that the Government of Trinidad and Tobago intends to double the majority of traffic fines under the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act, effective from 1st January, 2026, marking a significant overhaul of the nation’s road traffic regulations. In one of the most significant hikes, the penalty for a certain violation under item 90 will allegedly see a ten-fold increase — from $1,000 to $10,000.
The reports reference a purported Legal Notice No. 471, allegedly issued by the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, Eli Zakour, which is said to amend the Ninth Schedule of the Act and raise penalties for offences including speeding, documentation breaches, and other traffic violations.
According to the Legal Notice, which began circulating on Christmas Day (Thursday 25th December, 2025), fines previously set at $1,000 would rise to $2,000, some from $750 to $1,500, others from $300 to $600, and $450 to $900. Some offences were reportedly slated for larger increases, including a $2,000 fine doubling to $4,000, while another offence was listed as rising from $1,000 to $10,000.
General administrative costs are also set to increase. The fee under regulation 14 for motor vehicle transactions is doubling from $20 to $40, while various fees in the Sixth Schedule, such as those previously set at $500, will now cost motorists $1,000.
For the commercial sector, the cost of container examinations is also set to increase, with standard fees rising from $375 to $750.
In response to the reports, former Prime Minister Stuart R. Young, SC, said on X this morning (Saturday 27th December, 2025): “So Kamla Persad Bissessar in opposition said traffic fines are too high and she would reduce them. As soon as she is PM on Christmas Day she raises traffic fines by 100% and says nothing. Fire workers, cancel sponsorship for pan, raise fines and alcohol prices. You winning?”
Meanwhile, former Minister of Finance, Colm Imbert, also responded this morning on X, stating: “It is tedious to speak about the betrayal of the population by the UNC, but somebody has to because our hypocritical media is silent. Before the 2025 Election, KPB promised to lower existing taxes, introduce no new taxes, reduce fines, and create jobs. The opposite occurred!”
There is no official confirmation of these changes at this time, and the Legal Notice has not been posted on any official Government websites.
More on this as it becomes available.
[Source: Ian Alleyne]
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