By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

THE police have said that over 6,000 outstanding driver’s licenses are awaiting collection from 2022.

Superintendent Coran Jennning, second in command of the Royal Bahamas Police Force traffic division, encouraged motorists to collect their outstanding driver's licence.

He noted the importance of motorists having a driver’s licence in their possession while highlighting the penalties for failing to adhere to road traffic laws.

“Once an officer would stop you and inquire as to whether you have a driver's licence in your possession it is mandated that you present a driver's licence ID to the officer,” SP Jennings said.

“And if you don't have a driver's licence, you could be ticketed and the fine for that ticket is $250. Now if you have a driver's licence, and it is not in your possession, the fine will be a lesser fine, which is $40.”

He noted that the turnaround time for the collection of driver’s licenses is two to three days. The renewal cost is $25 for one year or $75 for three years.

Meanwhile, Chief Superintendent Eugene Strachan, officer in charge of the road traffic division, noted an “alarming concern” for Japanese cars being major contributors to traffic accidents.

He appealed to motorists to reduce speed and cell phone use while behind the wheel.

“The little vehicles that we are finding ourselves having to buy, we are competing with larger vehicles and with that larger vehicle a crash occurs and the only end result is either major injuries or fatalities,” he said.

“So we're going to appeal again to the members of the public when you get behind a steering wheel, we're begging you to make sure that every individual is properly strapped in with a seatbelt and that the driver is adhering to the speed regulations on all of the major roads.”

The country has recorded seven traffic fatalities for the year, with the most recent incident in Abaco claiming the life of a mother and her four-year-old child.

The Tribune understands the mother is 22-year-old Michelleda and her son, Armani.

Police said the crash happened around 8am on Tuesday near Ernest Dean Highway.

The woman and her son were reportedly in a Honda Fit travelling north on Ernest Dean Highway when she veered into oncoming vehicular traffic and collided with a male driver and a woman passenger in a grey Dodge Caravan travelling in the opposite direction.

Police said the initial impact resulted in the Dodge Caravan colliding with a grey Nissan Cube driven by a woman. After the crash, passengers were taken to the island’s local clinic, but the mother and son died on the scene after suffering serious injuries.