SUVA, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Fiji will activate next month the automatic number plate recognition speed cameras as part of its efforts to deal with the speeding issue, which is believed to be the leading cause of road fatalities in the island nation.

According to local press reports on Monday, Fiji's Land Transport Authority (LTA) Chief Executive Samuel Simpson said that this means that the chances of being caught speeding will now increase substantially.

Believing that the biggest single cause of fatalities is speeding, he said that if drivers exceed the speed limit, they will be issued with a Traffic Infringement Notice (TIN)- which must be paid in full within 90 days of the date of offence.

Payments after 90 days are subject to a 50 percent late payment fee which is added to the original fine, he said, adding that if TINS are not paid in full, then all LTA transactions such as wheel tax, roadworthiness, driving license, vehicle sale and transfer are blocked.

According to Fijian police, besides drunk driving, speeding continues to be the leading cause of road fatalities in Fiji and there is an urgent need for drivers to change their attitude towards speeding.

Motor vehicle registrations have been growing significantly in Fiji over the last few years with an average growth of 9 percent from 2015 to 2016.

The total number of valid vehicles in the island nation in December 2016 was 110,763, and 72 percent were private vehicles, followed by 16 percent commercial vehicles and 10 percent public service vehicles.