Traffic Court overhaul needed to clear backlog

With over 400,000 cases currently pending — a decades-old concern for the state —   Hancel argues for minimizing court appearances for routine fines.

Speaking on episode six of The Solutions podcast, produced by Old Harbour News and aired Sunday on YouTube, Hancel stated that motorists should only be required to appear before a magistrate under special circumstances.

“Only if the motorist decides to challenge the charge, or if the vehicle was involved in a crime, should a court appearance be necessary,” Hancel said. “Otherwise, there is no need to appear before a judge simply to pay a traffic ticket.”

Under his proposal, failure to pay a ticket on time would trigger an automatic late fee. If a driver does not challenge the charge by the court date, they would be deemed to have accepted culpability and must pay the prescribed penalty at any tax office or via a government portal.

Hancel pointed to the existing link between license renewal and cleared fines as a built-in enforcement mechanism. “The fact that renewing your driver’s license is contingent on having no outstanding ticket means there is already a strong incentive to pay. Mandatory court appearances for simple payments are an unnecessary step that clogs the system.”

The government has used periodic amnesties to alleviate the backlog, but new cases continue to outpace the rate at which matters are resolved.

Echoing the need for stricter enforcement, fellow podcast guest Winston Mollison, a former army medic, suggested an additional measure. With driver’s licenses renewable every five years, Mollison argued that failure to pay a fine within one year should result in an automatic suspension of driving privileges. This, he contends, would ensure the government collects outstanding fees within a reasonable timeframe.

The proposals highlight growing calls for administrative and legislative reforms to modernize the handling of traffic violations and clear the overburdened court docket.

The full interview is available on the Old Harbour News YouTube channel.