‘Don’t come here and break the law’: Traffic chief warns visiting bikers 

By Val Matthias. Updated 5:09 p.m., Saturday, October 17, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4). 

Visiting bikers and other motorists expected in St Vincent and the Grenadines for Independence celebrations have been put on notice by the Traffic Department: the invitation to participate in the festivities does not give anyone permission to break the law.

Superintendent of Police Parnell Brown, the officer in charge of the Traffic Department, issued the warning at a press briefing on Thursday October 15, on activities for the country’s 47th anniversary of Independence.

Brown said the police are anticipating an increase in the number of motorcycles and cars arriving in SVG during the Independence weekend, when a number of motorsport activities are expected to take place.

His message was direct. “It’s not because you’re invited here you can come here and break the law.”

Brown urged visiting motorists to exercise extreme caution on the country’s roads and to show respect for both their own lives and the lives of other road users.

He said the Traffic Department has seen and experienced the behaviour of some visiting motorists in the past and would be paying particular attention to their activities during the Independence period.

“We are not a lawless country,” Brown said, stressing that visitors involved in motorsport activities must operate within the confines of Vincentian law.

The warning comes against a backdrop of previous concerns about the behaviour of visiting bikers during the Independence season.

In November 2024, the traffic department reported that approximately 12 traffic incidents involving overseas bikers had been recorded during that year’s Independence celebrations the highest number reported since the practice of inviting visiting bikers and motorists to SVG began more than 17 years earlier.

At the time, Brown, who was then Assistant Superintendent of Police, warned that some visiting motorists were engaging in dangerous behaviour on public roads, includingperforming wheelies and riding between lanes of traffic. Police said such actions could frighten other motorists and contribute to collisions.

Brown’s latest warning suggests the Traffic Department intends to take a firm approach this year.

He said residents regularly report reckless or dangerous driving to the police, and officers will investigate reports of unlawful behaviour.

“If they have to be taken to the court, they will be taken to the court,” Brown said.

He recalled an incident in the Byrea area last year in which a local person lost their life, using it as a reminder of the consequences that can follow when motorists fail to exercise proper care on the roads.

Brown appealed to visiting motorists to remember that their actions affect more than themselves.

He said they have a responsibility to their families, as well as to Vincentians and other visitors using the country’s roads.

“I am the person in charge of traffic, and I’ll be paying particular attention,” he told motorists planning to travel to SVG.

The Traffic Department’s warning comes as motorsport continues to form part of the wider Independence experience, attracting both local and overseas enthusiasts.

SVG’s motorsport scene has also been developing beyond the Independence period, with events such as the Tarmac Takeover series attracting local drivers and promoting motorsport as part of the country’s sporting and cultural landscape.

But police are making a distinction between organised motorsport and dangerous behaviour on public roads.

Brown’s message is that visitors are welcome to participate in the celebrations, but they are expected to obey the same laws as everyone else.

He said members of the public and police officers would be watching the roads and warned that reports of reckless driving could result in investigations and, where warranted, court action.

“Please abide by the rules, by the laws that governs our nation,” Brown said.His warning comes less than two weeks before Independence Day on October 27, when increased traffic and movement around major celebration venues are expected.

For the visiting motorsport community, the message from the Traffic Department is therefore clear: come, participate and enjoy the Independence celebrations but do not mistake Vincentian hospitality for a licence to ride recklessly or disregard the law.

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