Black Immigrant Daily News
A pregnant female who also has a 5-year-old child says she was forced to wait for over four hours trying to get a taxi because transport operators refused to pick her up because of new regulationunder the New Road Traffic Act mandating that motor vehicles have a car restraint system for children in place.
“I was in the Cross Roads area and the taxi operators told me up front that they did not have any car seats in their vehicle and as a result did not want to get in trouble with local authorities,” Sophia Williams, the distraught mother said on Friday.
The mother said she ended up taking a Jamaica Urban Transit Company bus to reach to her destination and was left surprised that police did not stop the unit even though the very same car seat requirements were not in place.
She was not the only person raising concerns about that section of the Traffic Act.
One father who identified himself as Damion Smith said he was given a ticket while he was transporting his daughter to school because of the same requirement.
Since the Act came into effect several taxi operators say they have been placed at a disadvantage.
The Government has since pledged to review the stipulation.
Under Section 73 of the legislation, motorists who do not have appropriate child-restraint systems when transporting children 12 years and younger will be fined $5,000.
NewsAmericasNow.com
