Arthur Hall, Senior News Editor

Head of the Police Traffic Division, Senior Superintendent Radcliff Lewis, is again urging motorists to avoid the illegal or robot taxis.

Lewis made the call yesterday after nine persons were injured in an early-morning traffic accident on Molynes Road near Half-Way Tree in St Andrew.

"These men are habitual robot operators and they were racing to reach Half-Way Tree when the vehicles crashed, causing injury to the nine people, with some serious," Lewis told The Sunday Gleaner.

"When a person takes a robot taxi, the only thing they can get is injury and nothing more because those vehicles are not licensed to carry passengers," added Lewis.

He said persons from his division have met with officials of the insurance industry on several occasions and given them the names and vehicle numbers of the robot taxis.

"I have told them not to insure these vehicles and the insurance companies still continue to insure these vehicles. So what I have decided to do is to advise the injured persons to sue the insurance companies," said Lewis.

"I'm prepared to go to court on their behalf because is full time now that we deal with these undisciplined drivers. Everybody is speaking about these men. They have no respect for the law, they have no respect for the road-traffic laws and they have no respect for people's lives."

Yesterday's two-vehicle collision happened just after 6 a.m,. with one of the cars ending up inside the gully near the intersection of Molynes Road and Sandringham Avenue.