Liberia Moves to Update 52-Year-Old Traffic Law As Stakeholders Validate Final Draft

Liberia’s 52-year-old Vehicle and Traffic Law, unchanged since 1972, is now nearing a major overhaul after Road Safety Action International (RSAI) on Thursday convened its final validation workshop, bringing together key transport-sector stakeholders to review and endorse the revised draft.

The December 4 session in Monrovia marked the conclusion of a nationwide consultative process led by RSAI–commissioned by the Ministry of Transport and funded by the National Road Fund–to modernize the law and address escalating road-safety risks. The first validation workshop was held on November 13.

Stakeholders Push for Modern Traffic Standards

Representatives from the Ministry of Transport, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Liberia National Police, the Ministry of Justice, transport unions, and the Road Safety Secretariat participated in the workshop.

RSAI Executive Director Eric Gabriel Jenn-Judges stressed that Liberia’s outdated legal framework is inadequate for a country confronting rising crash rates and poor compliance with safety standards. He said Africa already carries the world’s highest burden of road fatalities, and Liberia is no exception.

“Road safety issues are alarming, and Africa bears the largest burden in road fatality,” Jenn-Judges said, describing the situation as an “epidemic” despite Liberia’s low vehicle population. “To solve this problem, one key issue identified was the current law and the need to revisit it.”

He expressed optimism that the Legislature and relevant agencies will adopt the new policy to strengthen road-safety enforcement nationwide.

AfDB Backs Updates as Critical to Saving Lives

Speaking on behalf of the African Development Bank, Senior Transport Engineer Kaustella Kialain Sarsh said the Bank has increasingly embedded road-safety standards in its infrastructure projects and views the reform of Liberia’s traffic law as central to that effort.

Sarsh said the revised draft fills key gaps by introducing universal seatbelt and child-restraint requirements, clearer helmet rules for motorcycle and tricycle operators, stronger speed-management provisions, and tighter enforcement of roadworthiness and axle-load limits.

“The AfDB views the revised Vehicle and Traffic Law as essential to saving lives, protecting costly road investments and strengthening the mandates of key institutions like the Ministry of Transport, the Liberia National Police and the Road Safety Secretariat,” she said, reaffirming the Bank’s continued support for safer transport systems in the country.

Transport Actors Challenge Enforcement Gaps

Transport-union representatives used the session to highlight enforcement problems they say undermine public trust. Some described what they believe are inflated or discretionary fines imposed by traffic officers, arguing that penalties often exceed the amounts prescribed by law.

Eric Paul Saye of the Federation of Road Transport Union said drivers routinely report fines “far above what they report to their bosses,” raising concerns about accountability. Others pointed to the shortage of designated parking spaces or pull-off areas for disabled vehicles.

“There is a need for more parking lots to aid stranded drivers and passengers along the highway in the case where their vehicles break down,” said Gbaylee P. Wah.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Juah Cooper, head of the Liberia National Police Traffic Enforcement Unit, defended the issuance of high-value fines for serious violations. He said he frequently issues US$100 tickets to motorists driving against traffic.

“Whatever the court says, that’s final,” Cooper said. “I’m not going to issue you $20 but something that will restrain you from repetition.”

His position was immediately challenged by Atty. Ellen Ziah-Nimely, who argued that fines must align with statutory limits.

“There’s a set fine for any traffic violation and, as such, a police officer overstepping the fines is a violation,” she said.

Executive Review Before Legislative Action

With stakeholder validation now completed, the revised Vehicle and Traffic Law will be forwarded to the President for review, signaling a major step toward modernizing Liberia’s traffic regulations for the first time in more than five decades.

If enacted, the reforms would introduce stronger enforcement tools, clearer safety requirements, and a harmonized legal framework intended to reduce road deaths–one of the country’s most persistent and preventable public-health threats.

By Liberian Investigator.