Barbados in need of a traffic school

I have heard calls made in the past for a traffic school to be established in Barbados. Given the recklessness I am seeing on our roads of late, I may now have to back this call.

I am aware as well that some road safety advocates have been pushing for defensive driving classes for those who infringe traffic laws, as well as a re-sit of the driving test required to gain one’s driver’s licence. However, some local insurance professionals have gone a step further, noting that those who cause serious accidents on local roads and those who are caught speeding, should be made to attend a special traffic school, where they can revisit the defensive driving rules.

Such schools already exist in the international arena and we can draw from their models and create our own. In essence, the outcomes should be the same. If we take a closer look at how it could possibly work, we will see for example that in California, a traffic court will determine your eligibility for traffic school, depending on the circumstances of your offence and your driving history.

If you are selected, you will undertake a driver improvement programme, which must be completed to dismiss your traffic ticket, avoid adding points to your driving record and avoid a rise in your car insurance rates. The course usually coves topics such as: defensive driving techniques, traffic laws and tips to become a safer, more responsible motorist. Generally, participants will need to pass a final exam in order to complete the course. When finished, they receive a certificate of traffic school completion, which they will likely need to submit to the appropriate traffic court and for the insurance provider.

Some traffic school programmes also give participants the option of completing the programme online or in the classroom. However, I would suggest that a local programme here in Barbados require participants to show up in person and do the necessary work, for greater accountability.

I certainly think that Barbados can benefit from having a traffic school and whilst the argument may be made that there are not enough resources to facilitate such, I do believe that if we weigh the gains from it in advance, we are likely to find that they outweigh the losses we are currently experiencing, which relate to loss of valuable lives on our roads, a greater health care burden and higher insurance premiums.

We have heard numerous calls from the traffic division of the Royal Barbados Police Force for motorists to drive with caution, with due care and attention and to cut out speeding. However, it appears that a number of reckless drivers believe that they own local roads. Some are even prompting other drivers to do like them and take risks, by aggressively blowing their horns behind motorists who are being cautious at roundabouts and junctions, due to the amount of oncoming traffic. Some will even break the law to overtake you on the road, all because they cannot wait a minute or two to get where they are going.

There is a certain amount or road rage involved as well and all these issues can be addressed in traffic school, for those who refuse to utilise their common sense and abide by the traffic laws.