A motorist, in responding to last week's column, said he too was stopped last month at the intersection of Heywood and Orange streets, downtown Kingston for a spot check.

"I wonder why the police choose to have spot checks in that vicinity because all it does is cause traffic congestion because there is hardly anywhere for the motorists to park, for spot checks to be done," he said.

"I only had my driver's licence with me and the special constable who stopped me spent quite a long time querying why I did not have my car papers . I told him they were at home and he even remarked that he could write me a ticket for failing to produce the certificate of fitness for the motor car.

Policeman had no sense

"I told him that I have them at home and I could go home for them or produce them at the nearest police station. It was as if that policeman had no sense of reasoning because he just kept threatening to give me a traffic ticket.

"Another policeman came up and told him that since I had my driver's licence I could produce the car documents within five days at the police station. I have since produced the documents at the police station," he said.

Motorists must ensure that they have their driver's licence with them or some other valid identification if their driver's licence is lost or mislaid.

Section 22 of the Road Traffic Act states in part that a person driving a motor vehicle on a road or accompanying a learner in a motor vehicle must produce his driver's licence for examination so as to enable the constable to ascertain the name and address of the holder of the licence, the date of issue and the licensing authority by which it was issued. If he fails to do so he shall be guilty of an offence.

Produce them within five days

However, the section states further in part that where a person is unable to produce his driver's licence when so required "but is able to satisfy the constable by other means as to his name, address and identity, that constable shall if otherwise satisfied as to the credential of that person, permit him to produce such licence in person within five days thereafter at such police station as may be specified by that person at the time its production was required, and if the licence is so produced that person shall not be convicted of an offence under this section".

The Regulations under the Road Traffic Act state that motorists who do not have the relevant documents such as the certificates of fitness and regis-tration with them can produce them within five days at a specified police station.