A stern warning has been issued by the police to truck drivers across Dominica that the full measure of the law will be brought down on those who ignore fallen debris from their vehicles, thus posing a danger to other road users.
Acting Superintendent of Police in charge of Central Division, George Theophile, who issued the warning, said the police have observed that truckers hauling materials from one location to another have been violating Section 82 of the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Act 46:50 and section 3:1 of the Litter Act chapter 40:61 of the laws of the Commonwealth of Dominica.
“The loose chips, stones, gravels, sand and other such materials, or objects on the public roads in Dominica are very dangerous to motorists and other road users,” he stated. “Section 82:1 places the responsibility on the truck drivers to ensure that no object or things fall on the road while being transported from one point to another.”
Theophile added that Section 82:2 also stipulates that the driver of any truck from which any object or thing falls onto the road shall remove the said item from that road within a reasonable time.
He advised that any driver who violates the laws commits an offense, and is liable on conviction to a fine of $500.00 or imprisonment for three months.
“I wish to remind drivers of these trucks that the onus is on them to ensure that they do not overload their trucks and to take the necessary precaution to ensure that what they are carrying do not fall onto the road and if it does, to take all necessary measures to clean the road within 24 hours,” Acting Superintendent Theophile stated.
No Justice no peace,explain to Dominicans how laws are made.Go step by step.
Geez just secure your load and clean up after yourself. The last thing we need in dominica is police having to babysit grown people. Just do the right thing. Dominica is one of the last few places with true personal freedoms. Trust me you don’t want to have someone inspecting every truck, needing permits for everything.
You call it personal freedom, I call it lawlessness! Let me tell you one thing, unfortunately that ‘personal freedom’ is not extended to EVERY citizen but rather exclusively to the ones with the correct party bible and general Skerrit worshippers.
And I should also add here. That anyone sees any truck driver that messes up the road should take the plate number and call the police. The same should be applied to any other road users that throw waste in moving vehicles. It’s high time that we as a people take responsibility and keep the Nature Island clean and beautiful.
Based on the practices we’ve seen recently the police tough talk comes with an unmentioned caveat, which is this doesn’t include those with political links to the Labour party. What has actually happened in the recent past? just look at the number of illegal activities organized by Laborites which were allowed to happen during the Covid-19 pandemic. Once the police first surrendered it’s autonomy to the political leader it reduced it’s effectiveness and because a tool of the ruling party.
Mr. Theophill, we thank you that the police have awakened from their slumber on that one, we hoping for much more from you guys.
“A stern warning has been issued by the police to truck drivers across Dominica that the full measure of the law will be brought down on those who ignore fallen debris from their vehicles, thus posing a danger to other road users.“
Further proof that the police are only busy doing Skerrit’s job and to hell with national security.
You know how many people I know that got their legs twisted, sprained or broken because of that same thing?
How long sir has this law been in existence and why now?
You know the amount of laws Skerrit has used his majority in power to charge and made new las that suits and protects him?
It’s time that we start to sue the police for not doing their job so they will understand that their job is not to protect criminals but rather to protect citizens from the above and others
It is hi time something is done about this with stiff penaltys fine not only truckers but bus drivers and cars drivers as well, Dominica is a small Carribbean island same as any others in the Caribbean it is up to us Dominicans to take control and keep our Dominica clean, and forget about that crab hole politics nonsense Edison James, and Ugly Lenny,has brought to our Dominica clean that s**t and move on for crying out loud!!!
How do we know ur not the one doing it?
Now this is what I am talking about 17 aholes so far has given me thumbs down without even understanding what it’s I am talking about and we called this Blackman future well after 400 years of slavery my God 🙏kick my a** and hope to die.
penalties (wrong) – penalties (correct)
Learn to spell before you curse. Go back to school.
” full measure of the law will be brought down on those who ignore fallen debris from their truck”
Whereas that may sound reasonable, it is a bunch of rubbish!
In this case I suggest there should be preventative measures taken, prior to the debris falling off the vehicles.
There should be a legal protocol which demands that if and when loos materials are transported, the driver should ensure the either tied down, or the entire uncovered materials should be covered with a tarp, and tied-down.
Once the truck is loaded, one concentrates on driving forward, it is almost impossible to drive and monitor what debris is falling off the rear of a moving truck; but as everything else, the stupid police anticipate the drivers have six eyes allowing them the see at a 360 degree angle at all times!
What astounds me is that all these legislations are in place in many parts of the world. Our government need not reinvent the wheel. All they need to do is copy best practices and tweak them to apply to the local conditions. They always seem to come up with half-a.sed rules and legislations.
They are busy worried about CLEANING debris that falls off trucks, rather than securing the load to prevent it from falling. If you secure the load, both the safety and littering problems are solved at the same time. The focus must be on securing the load, not cleaning after the fact.
Correct Zandolie; If I trim trees in my garden, and decide to take them to a dump, in a pick-up truck without securing them under a tarp, strapped down, and while driving the wind blow and a few leaf blows out of the moving truck.
In the event the police witness the event, I would be given a citation, for a traffic violation.
In the first place, looking at that white truck, with “Garade” written on it; unless the owner, or driver, operates of instincts, rather than commonsense, their commonsense should dictate that the truck is overloaded with that pile of trash they are pulling.
Even when the truck is at a stop, the cargo is dangerous; what happens if strong winds begins to blow, and people are walking by, someone could get killed by flying debris.
Everything in Dominica is nothing than a circus anyway!
ds, Clown, Man Dog, or Human Dog, and Gary Roosevelt, that damn thi.. set it up that way so that his puppet Carbon can have something to say!
Hahahahahahahaha!
Completely agree with you, Genius! With such vast wisdom and experience, you should be an integral part of the legislature.
Stop being an as. hole, Francisco Telemakak. The police has a right to do something and say something about the negligence of truckers. They have a right to look out for the safety of themselves and that of others who use the roads on a daily basis. Stop making everything political. Are you in your right mind that every time public is told and warned about some traffic violation or public order violation, you and Ibo always have something smart to say? It is becoming ridiculous of you both and others that follow your nonsense.
“Stop being an as. hole, Francisco.” (ds)
that is the favorite word of the uneducated such as you and Man Dog, or Human Dog which ever comes first, and the notorious Lin Clown!
Such are the language, of the very illiterates of the world, such are the language of peasants.
Hahahahahahahahahahahah!
I am nether a peasant, nor an illiterate person, so that type of garbage gutter language I do not comprehend oui!
I am too cultured to deal with that hogwash!
Too cultured…? YOU? You are as common as a gutter rat. You are a notorious showoff and know-it-all which doesn’t make ‘cultured’. Get out of here.
You come back again for more insults from me using another fictitious none existent name!
You that ole nasty aunty-man, or geriatric ole woman: Mash dog, doh bother me, me and you not company eh!
I don’t deal with nasty smelling aunty-man, old geriatric woman!
I am too cultured for nastiness!
I wish you a miserable day, in pain and all sorts of suffering, I wish dog bite your ear off, and snake wrap aroung you and brake every bone in you, you nasty rat.
Hahahahahahahahahaha!
If you come back after this for more insults; I give up!
Hahahahahah.
I knew that would get you going again. Once again MAKAK, you are as common as muck you do not even know what the word culture means. Now do us all a favour and stay out of here and go play in your little sand pit. Where on earth did they get you from??
Since you are a mangie magga dog full of ticks, with no owner, and without shame; need to prove to you that I am no idiot.
Hence in my world to be cultured means ‘ I am characterized by refined taste and manners and good education.”
You cannot deny that I am College and University educated, and that’s why I know so much.
That is why I know much more than you!
You have no shame, I insult you every time but you still can’t get a hint, I don’t like you; you are a nasty aunty-man, or smelling geriatric ole woman!
My dog Rex, long dead had better instinct than you have commonsense!
Do you like to be insulted?
It seems so to me; only a hungry dog, hunts a human as you haunt after me eh!
But, I told you if you are a nasty ole woman looking for man I doh want you because I doh like stinky ole geriatric woman, I full up; with young women half me ole age!
As for aunty-man, not interested in any form of disorientation; I straight as they come!
Mash dog, doh…
Hello and good afternoon my people. Well telling the drivers they are responsible to pick up garbage that fall from the truck is irresponsible because they usually leave the trash in the street. The Government should set guideline the box of the trucks must meet contain height to safely transport the trash. Just by looking at the trucks depicted in the article one can see that the box of the trucks are too low because it don’t confine the trash in the truck. Second they must used a wire or nylon mesh to secure the trash once it’s in the truck. I remember driving from the airport and a truck with trash was in front of me when a stove fell off the truck. Luckily I was about twenty feet behind this truck and the stove missed the rental vehicle and the truck just kept going.
ok so first you gonna have to charge all the concrete truck companies in dominica. because look at the state of certain areas on sloping dca roads . always coated with concrete
That’s an easy fix. The modern trucks are equipped with covers. Older model trucks can be easily retrofitted with these covers. Government should either lower the import duty on these covers or waive the duty altogether in the interest of safety. The fines in my neck of the woods are quite hefty if you’re caught without covered loads. Pedestrians and fellow motorist have been killed and seriously injured from the impact of unsecured loads. A decision whose time has come.
Trust me, the police will only go after those they are told that are NOT supporting Skerrit. Any statement from the police must be viewed as a political statement regardless of the nature . Skerrit, Blackmore, Austie or Vince will tell them who to go after
So that law has already been in place? And only now the Skerrit police threatening to take full measures against violators? You see how they are? Yet there is no walk that prevents us from walking but they are busy harassing us and threatening to arrest and charge us for breaking no damn law. Boy one day Skerrit and his wicked rule and those that support him Must stop and I can see it’s coming very soon
The specific problem is real and dangerous to motorists. Something should not only be done but needs to be done sooner rather than later.
There should be legislation which requires all garbage/ waste that is being transported by haulers be properly covered and secured. Any violation would lead to heavy fines. Enforcement is key.
On a daily basis, traffic police witness truckers hauling materials uncovered with sand/stones/blocks dropping off, steel and galvanize loosely secured yet do nothing about it. Instead, they are only ticketing the few hard working people who park their vehicle for one minute to use an atm or rush to make an errand etc.
Oh yeah. This has been going on for almost 20 years and now you decide to do something about it? I guess the crime minister desperately tries to justify the amount of police officers which he recently engaged. We haven’t got a police force anymore but rather a militia which is charged to protect the CM, the cabal and his cronies.
Don’t be stupid. The police are doing their work. Do you have a problem with that? They are enforcing the law that needs to be respected and obeyed. So, if you are driving beyond the speed limit, you should be rightly pulled over and issue a ticket to you. It is all about the safety of pedestrians and other motorists who use the roads and they themselves the truckers. It looks like you love anarchy and pandemonium for a lawyer if you really are a lawyer.
Why did the militia arrest Thompson Fontaine at Melville Hall last night? They are doing their work? They enforcing the law. Well, ahole, which law are these thugs enforcing then? The laws enacted by the constitution of Dominica or those imaginary laws enacted by that .rime minister. You are one of the biggest nutcases I’ve ever come across and believe me, I encountered a fair few. Most recently that rogue PM of the UK, the previous ‘President of the US’ and of course Rasputin of the Kremlin to name but a few.
He was arrested by law enforcement for contempt of court. He failed to appear on his court day and gave no excuse for his absence. Why should Fontaine be treated any differently from me? We do not have a militia in Dominica. What we have is a Police Force in the Commonwealth of Dominica. Are you really a graduated lawyer? If Ugly Willy did not appear in court and was arrested, that would have been ok. Right? Well, my learned friend, Fontaine is not above the law.
Contempt of court, don’t make me laugh. Nobody in their right mind respects this pappy show. They are Skerrits puppets. Nothing to do with JUSTICE.
Tough talk but how exactly you going to enforce it? And why didn’t ASP Theophile mention all those pieces of concrete left on the road due to those over-loaded concrete trucks?
As a road user I’m happy to hear the police finally address the problem..but I hope is not the typical Dominican “too show ..too flam”
That law does not go far enough. What the law should also stipulate is that any open top truck carrying any kind of material must also be covered and drivers of ALL vehicles (including cars) must ensure their load is properly secured while they are on the public roadways. The idea is to PREVENT debris from falling off the back or side of trucks or private vehicles.
If they are concerned about public safety, they have to take steps to PREVENT the accident in the first place.
From what I read, it appears they are more concerned about littering than public safety.
Safety is about prevention, not reacting after the fact.