Anguilla House of Assembly backs call for urgent road safety law reform

The Anguilla House of Assembly has unanimously approved a motion calling for urgent legislative reforms to strengthen road safety across the island.

The motion, proposed by opposition member Haydn Hughes on 25 August, calls for amendments to the Vehicles and Road Traffic Act to be brought to parliament “at the earliest opportunity”.

It specifically seeks mandatory child restraint systems and seatbelts, stronger provisions against driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and other modern road safety measures.

At Anguilla Focus we keep our core content free for everyone – but our members get access to even more! Click here to join from just $4/month.

“The timely enactment of these measures would strengthen the protection of drivers, passengers, pedestrians and other road users, particularly children, and contribute to the reduction of road traffic injuries and fatalities,” it says.

The motion comes just weeks after an infant died and two adults were seriously injured in a road traffic collision on Jeremiah Gumbs Highway in Little Harbour on 10 August.

Members agreed that the legislation should be prioritised, with Hughes expressing hope that substantive amendments could reach parliament within weeks.

A call for action

On presenting the motion, Hughes said Anguilla’s roads have become increasingly dangerous, with frequent crashes, speeding and reckless driving placing residents at unnecessary risk and creating significant medical costs.

He said he is now “afraid” to go out on the roads on Friday and Saturday nights, and particularly fears for the safety of his children.

Hughes said the proposed reforms are not new, with work beginning during his time in government as transport minister. Discussions reached Executive Council in 2020 and drafting began in earnest in 2021.

He credited Commissioner of Police Robert Clark and Attorney General’s Chambers employee Serena Connor after consultations and other work encountered several snags.

While describing the amendments as “long overdue”, the opposition member stressed that the motion was not intended to blame the Anguilla United Front administration, the Attorney General’s Chambers or individual public servants for delays.

Hughes warned that passing the legislation would only be the beginning, saying effective enforcement by the police would ultimately determine whether the reforms improved road safety.

Reforms to go beyond seatbelts

Infrastructure minister Jose Vanterpool supported the motion, describing road safety as affecting every Anguillian family and therefore “should never be a partisan issue”.

He said more than 40 road traffic incidents had been recorded so far during August alone, resulting in “injuries of varying degree, and unfortunately, in some cases, lives lost way too soon”.

The government is advancing comprehensive reforms as part of its legislative programme, he said, with recent work involving the ministry, Attorney General’s Chambers, Royal Anguilla Police Force, taxi drivers and other stakeholders.

“It’s been a Herculean effort and we’re almost at the finish line,” the minister said.

According to Vanterpool, “modern legislation” will address seatbelts, child restraints and impaired driving, while modernising driver licensing, learner permits, visitor licensing and enforcement mechanisms.

The reforms are also expected to address mobile phone use while driving, penalties, public education, regulatory oversight and aspects of taxi and chauffeur licensing.

“In other words, we are not simply just proposing new offences; we are modernising the entire legislative framework,” he said.

Vanterpool said the latest stakeholder meeting took place on 21 August, adding that government is committed to bringing completed legislation before parliament “in due course”.

‘Do not to wait for perfection’

Opposition leader Ellis Webster also backed the motion, thanking Hughes for advancing the issue and recognising the work of Connor and the Attorney General’s Chambers.

Webster said Anguilla should not wait for a comprehensive package of reforms before introducing certain measures that could immediately protect children and other road users.

He recalled earlier consultations during which concerns were raised about whether Anguilla was culturally ready for mandatory seatbelts and child restraints, particularly because residents often give others lifts.

Webster rejected that argument, saying the island should not wait until people were killed or permanently injured before introducing basic protections already required in nearby jurisdictions.

He also called for stronger action against impaired driving and open alcohol containers, while urging police to enforce existing and future road safety laws more consistently.

“Sometimes the people have elected us to make these hard decisions because government is there to do for us what we can’t do for ourselves,” Webster said.

Nearly a decade of work

Amendments to the Vehicles and Road Traffic Act were proposed in the 44-page bill for the Criminal Justice Reform Act, 2018.

If enacted, the reforms would have made seatbelt use mandatory for drivers and front-seat passengers, required child restraints for young children, and prohibited handheld mobile phone use while driving.

They would also have strengthened the law on drink- and drug-driving, including blood-alcohol limits, police breath testing powers and increased penalties.

Following a request for an update on the progress of the bill on 12 August, Attorney General Rachel Spearing KC told Anguilla Focus that she would revert soon.

On 14 August, Hughes told Anguilla Focus that, after being elected in 2020, he and his team had worked on their own update to the Vehicles and Road Traffic Act.

The proposed amendments included provisions on child restraints, alongside measures addressing driving under the influence, texting while driving and the wearing of seatbelts.

The draft legislation was “very close to completion” by December 2024, he said. However, it has not proceeded to public consultation since the change of government in February 2025.

The post Anguilla House of Assembly backs call for urgent road safety law reform appeared first on Anguilla Focus | News.