BRSA calling motorists to report damage to vehicles due to potholes

The Barbados Road Safety Association (BRSA) is calling on all motorists to reports any damage their vehicles have sustained as a result of potholes, to the Ministry of Transport and Works.

 

President of the BRSA, Sharmane Roland-Bowen, in issuing the call, urged them to “do right by fellow motorists”, and not to allow the time it may take to get such claims settled, to prevent them from doing so.

 

“Some of us are contributing to the state of our roads by not filing a claim when our vehicle is damaged, because the more money that’s paid out, the more inclined the authorities are likely to be to keep the roads in a better condition. Especially as they start work to fix some of the roads now, we have to report these accidents with potholes so that this work they are doing in not in vain,” she said in an interview with The Barbados Advocate.

 

She added, “I want every person that has hit into a pothole and sustained damage to report it.”

 

The road safety advocate’s comments came as she detailed what motorists in such situations should do. In such cases, Roland-Bowen said motorists should take note of the day, date and time the incident occurred. Moreover, she is advising persons to use their cellphones to help document the evidence, taking a picture of the damage and the pothole.

 

“Keep a 12-inch ruler in your car and if practical measure the pothole. You want the width and the depth, but the depth is more important, because the deeper the pothole, the more damage your car is likely to attain. They need also to get estimates from two mechanics for the damage to help build their case. It might take five years, three years and that is what is deterring people from seeking compensation, but when we refuse to do our duty, we are contributing to the bad state of our roads,” she maintained.  

 

Admittedly, she said damage caused by potholes could be covered by motor insurance, but she contended that making such claims against a motor insurance policy was not in the interest of the policyholders who would not only have to pay the excess, but could also see their insurance rise on account of the claim. She made the point while noting that the roads did not get to the state they are currently in overnight, and she is adamant that had motorists been playing their part, then perhaps the Ministry would have felt compelled to do better.

 

Roland-Bowen further stated that the BRSA has set up a webpage www.barbadosroadsafety.com where persons can report the locations of current potholes, and she is urging the public to go on the page and make the reports. The BRSA head said she has already forwarded a letter to the Ministry outlining where she would have erected markers last week to identify some potholes, and will be sending all reports they receive from the webpage to the Ministry as well.

 

With that in mind, she is calling on the Ministry to ensure that where they are informed of these roads hazards, that they put warning signs in place until the potholes can be fixed. She said it is not likely they will be able to fix all at the same time, and so it is important that motorists have advanced warning of the potholes so they have the time to safely react and avoid them. (JRT)