The Ministry of Transport has presented a new amendment to the Road Traffic Regulations 2012 to Parliament in a Legislative Instrument (L.I).
The proposed changes would allow Members of Parliament (MPs) and Ministers of State to have privileges previously only granted to emergency and specialized vehicles.
The amendment to Regulation 74 of LI 2180 would permit the installation of sirens or bells as warning devices on specific classes of vehicles, such as those owned by Supreme Court justices, MPs, and Ministers of State.
This means that in the event of traffic congestion, these individuals would be able to legally use sirens to navigate through the traffic.
Furthermore, an amendment to Regulation 166 of LI 2180 would exempt MPs and Ministers of State from speed limit regulations.
This change comes after Parliament passed the Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill 2020 in December 2020, which introduced stricter penalties for road traffic offenders whose actions result in the death of an unborn child.
Notably, this bill was the first private member’s bill proposed by MPs to be approved by Parliament, signaling a shift in legislative dynamics.
However, the proposed amendments have sparked mixed reactions among the public, with some questioning the necessity of granting these privileges to MPs and Ministers of State.
