High tech plates for vehicles coming soon: Warner

Jack Warner continues his visits to various government agencies Friday in his dual role as acting Prime Minister and Minister of Works and Transportation.

He begins his day with a tour of President's House, a section of which collapsed a few days before the May 24 general election. He has promised to have the home restored within a year. He will also visit the licensing office in Arima.

Warner has some ambitious plans for modernising the country's facilities and for changing number plates carried on motor vehicles.

Currently the plates are made by private companies at auto parts dealers across the country. It means anyone can make a plate within minutes. Warner is going to halt that practice and introduce a new high-tech one that would be issued by the country's Motor Vehicle Authority.

The plates would have a special micro-chip to help police locate the vehicle if it is stolen or involved in any kind of criminal activity. The chip would carry all the vital data about the vehicle and its owner.

Each plate will have what he said is a Radio Frequency Reader which would allow police to access the vehicle's vital data from as far as 10 metres away. This will allow quick police response for traffic violations and serious crimes.

The change would allow police to mail tickets to violators.

Warner expects to have such plates on every vehicle in Trinidad and Tobago by the end of the year.

It's all part of a $120 million modernisation and transformation of the Licensing Authority, which will now be known as the Motor Vehicle Authority. The project, which was started by the previous administration, is scheduled for completion by the end of November.

Warner made it clear that the proposed changes will not result in any job losses.

Warner said a foreign company will make the plates for the Motor Vehicle Authority. they will come in 16 different classifications including private, commercial, new/used vehicle dealers, off road, trailers, construction.

He said the project also involved new drivers licences.

The minister said there are also plans to introduce legislation to stop the use of cellular phones by drivers while they are at the wheel. Most Canadian provinces have introduced the measure and have reported a significant decrease in traffic accidents.