BRSA fully supportive of cell phone ban

From this month, the Barbados Road Safety Association (BRSA) intends to launch a campaign to sensitise and educate persons about the dangers of distracted driving.

BRSA President, Sharmane Roland-Bowen, said they will be reaching out to churches, schools, social clubs and workplaces with the view of being able to make presentations to those bodies, so as to get the word out to as many persons as possible about the dangers posed by distracted driving and to ensure that they are all au fait with the provision of the recently passed Road Traffic (Amendment) Act. Roland-Bowen, in an interview with The Barbados Advocate, stated that such a campaign is especially needed at this time, given that the Act was recently proclaimed and the police have already started to enforce some aspects of it.

Last week it was announced that the section of the new Act and its regulations which prohibit a person from driving a vehicle while simultaneously holding, manipulating, talking on, or using a cell phone would start to be enforced, and the penalty for that is a $2 000 fine and/or 18 months in prison. The Act does, however, allow a person to drive and use a cell phone once it is in hands-free mode.

“Over the years most accidents have been attributed to inattention and attention diverted, according to the police’s statistics, and it is about time something was done about that. So I fully support the police taking a stand to make our road users safe,” she said.

She added, “This provision will certainly help to ensure that our roads are safer and we are pleased to see that it has become a reality. We are urging persons to abide by the law and to get those Bluetooth devices that will guarantee that they do not break the law. We also want to advise persons that even if they are waiting at the traffic lights or in traffic, they are still operating the vehicle, though not moving at that point, and to use the cell phone would therefore still be an offence.”

Roland-Bowen, reiterating that she is fully supportive of the ban on cell phone use being instituted, said she is pleased that the Royal Barbados Police Force is not only talking about enforcing the new provision, but that it is actually bearing fruit. Her comments came as she reflected on the fact that at least one person has been charged so far for the offence and she hopes that other motorists, seeing that, will now be even more deterred.

“What I would also like to see is a fixed penalty and demerit point system accompanying the provisions of the Act, so that there is no backup of these cases in our courts,” she added.

The BRSA president then went on to warn motorists about pulling over on the shoulder of the road or highway to use their cell phone, contending that should not be encouraged. Roland-Bowen noted that portion of the road is for emergencies and should be left open for vehicles that are actually experiencing emergencies.

She made the comments while urging the authorities to move apace with implementing breathalyser testing as well. Roland-Bowen said she is hoping that that will be the next order of business. She said it would be good if it could be instituted prior to the upcoming Crop Over season, as she maintained that it is vital in helping to keep the number of fatalities and serious accidents down to a minimum this year. (JRT)