It is encouraging to see road safety and traffic offences receiving serious attention this early in the new year. That focus is necessary. Road safety should never be seasonal or reactive. It must be a daily priority.
The announcement that traffic offences in Fiji could soon carry criminal penalties, including possible imprisonment, will no doubt raise eyebrows. It sounds tough. But when placed against our current road safety record, it becomes clear why stronger measures are being considered.
Too many drivers continue to treat our highways like personal racetracks, showing little regard for other road users. The result is tragic and unacceptable.
By the end of 2025, Fiji recorded 83 road fatalities, a 25 per cent increase from the 66 deaths in 2024. Behind every statistic is a family grieving a loss that, in many cases, could have been prevented.
Land Transport Authority chief executive officer Irimaia Rokosawa has confirmed that LTA is working closely with the Fiji Police Force to ensure traffic regulations support the criminalisation of serious traffic offences. The intent, he said, is clear: road safety.
Speeding remains the leading cause of fatal crashes, and this demands urgent action. Alongside criminal penalties, LTA is also planning to introduce a demerit points system, designed to predetermine penalties and reduce subjective enforcement.
For such a system to work, Mr Rokosawa noted, the right regulations and infrastructure must be in place. This rule-based approach, embedded within the system, is intended to make drivers more accountable and consistent enforcement the norm.
Traffic offences, he stressed, are not something to be taken lightly, and the responsibility for reform is shared among LTA, the police and relevant ministries.
While these reforms are welcome, enforcement alone will not fix our road safety crisis. There are practical, long-overdue steps that must also be taken.
First, our roads must be clearly marked. Centre lines should be visible in heavy rain and at night. Installing reflective “cats’ eyes” along centrelines would significantly improve visibility and safety. Speed limits and road signs must be clear and consistent, and road edges properly defined. At the same time, potholes and badly damaged roads must be repaired. Safe driving begins with safe infrastructure.
There is also a message for highway patrol officers. Visibility matters. Patrol cars hidden behind hedges or parked in driveways may catch offenders, but visible policing encourages safer behaviour from all drivers.
When motorists see patrols on the road, they slow down and remain alert. Prevention should always be the goal.
But this leads to a more uncomfortable question.
Why do some drivers only obey the law when police are present?
Why does common sense disappear once a checkpoint is passed?
Road rules are not optional guidelines, nor should they be followed only out of fear of a ticket.
True road safety comes from within, from an understanding that every decision behind the wheel carries consequences. It requires respect for the law, consideration for others and an appreciation of the value of human life.
Tougher laws and better enforcement are important steps forward. But lasting change will only come when drivers accept that safety is a shared responsibility. And that must apply every day, on every road, whether police are watching or not!
