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Be safe this Crop Over weekend
8/3/2012
TO date, there have been 12 road fatalities compared to 14 for the corresponding period last year, and so the Barbados Road Safety Association (BRSA) is urging persons to be safe on the roads, especially as the Crop Over season comes to a climax.
In a statement sent out earlier this week, President Sharmane Roland-Bowen appealed to road users to be responsible and make wise choices when using the roads and to be cognisant of the fact that road accidents can affect any of us when we least expect.
“At this time, many persons will be partying and enjoying the social activities. If you consume any alcohol, whatever the amount, it can impair your ability to drive and use the road safely; make sure you have a designated driver at hand to transport you to your home or your destination safely. A designated driver is a person who has abstained from drinking and not someone who has drunk the least or is the most sober person in the group. If you are a pedestrian, alcohol is also dangerous when using the road, you can cause an accident and be killed or seriously injured. Be responsible, use alcohol in moderation, know your limit,” the president advised.
In addition to encouraging persons not to drink and drive, the BRSA president is reminding persons that driver fatigue can also be dangerous and cause accidents. She said that driver fatigue, “the silent killer”, makes you fall asleep behind the wheel or sends your body into microsleep where a person would have no control over their vehicle and cause an accident.
“[Also], distracted drivers are dangerous drivers. If you are distracted you are not aware of what is happening around you, and will be unable to compensate for the mistakes of others and so cannot help avoid an accident. Always be alert and pay full attention to the road and your surroundings. Drive defensively, forget friends in the vehicle, forget cell phones and focus on the road,” she noted in the release.
The BRSA head is also calling on road users not to speed, as excessive speed can cause serious injuries or result in fatalities. As such, she is urging persons to take their time, drive within the speed limit and at the appropriate speed for the road conditions.
She added, “The faster you travel the more likely you are to be involved in an accident [and] the higher the force of impact, meaning the more likely the outcome will be fatal or injuries more severe.”
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