EDITORIAL: Make road safety a priority
IT is estimated that we now have more than 108 000 cars on the roads. This increased volume creates major headaches, especially during peak hours and as a result, leads to several traffic jams. It also brings out the monster in some drivers, as is manifested in more frequent incidence of what is now referred to as ‘road rage’.
During the week several accidents are being recorded in the island, but far too often we hear nothing of those who offend other drivers on our roads and manage to evade the police. Every day there are countless complaints about the conduct of some road users and the need to ‘tighten the screws’ on traffic laws, so that the public can enjoy an improved driving experience as well as see a reduction in the number of accidents that occur daily across the country.
A few years ago, an official, in making a case for enhancing road safety management, said that the focus should be “on dealing with persistent offenders on the scene, speeding up the adjudication of traffic matters and the collection of the sums due on penalty tickets, the proper identification of drivers, the impounding of vehicles, and the better control of the issuing of plates, importation and registration of vehicles”.
It is true that Government cannot deal with this problem on its own, but needs the support of all sectors of society including “private sector entities, NGOs and civil social groups”. In fact, one insurance company introduced a system where drivers’ habits are monitored electronically as they drive and it “affords policyholders significant discounts”. One of the difficulties in ensuring road safety lies in the fact that many Barbadians accept minor accidents and mishaps as the “price you pay for progress”. However, this need not be the case.
Road safety is everyone’s responsibility. A major challenge exists because Barbados does not, at this time, enjoy an efficient transportation system. This is coupled with the fact that carpooling is not popular either, therefore most people use their cars to go everywhere. As a result of the increased number of cars on the roads, drivers are becoming more impatient and careless as well as taking more chances which, if other drivers do not exercise due care, could be detrimental to them.
Another challenge is that some drivers have caught the racing bug and judging from the ‘improvements’ and decorations on their cars, these drivers feel the need to test the mettle of their cars, much to the distress of the unsuspecting driving public. Some might allude to this behaviour as merely ‘showing off’, but the majority acknowledge it as dangerous driving and a growing hazard that has the potential to bring harm to others.
The Royal Barbados Police Force has been committed to improving our roadways and continues to show a united approach to enforce the traffic laws of Barbados. They have indicated, however, they cannot take on this Herculean task on their own. It is the public’s duty as well to safeguard their own lives through reporting the activities of those who break the law to the police hotlines and to work with insurance companies to make sure that offenders face justice while drivers enjoy the benefits of a safer driving environment.