Cameras the way to go

The relevant authorities are being encouraged to introduce speed cameras across the island to help crack down on persons who drive in excess of the stipulated speed limits.

That’s the call from President of the Barbados Road Safety Association (BRSA), Sharmane Roland-Bowen.

Explaining that speed is one of the primary causes of road fatalities and accidents in general, Roland-Bowen said any measures that can be implemented to dissuade persons from driving their vehicles fast, would redound to the benefit of all road users and the economy. She made the point as she contended that in addition to the high costs associated with treating persons who have been involved in vehicular accidents, insurance companies also have to deal with hefty claims which often result in premiums rising.

Moreover, where lives are lost, in addition to the emotional pain that the families experience, the country also loses productive citizens.

“The body can only accept a certain amount of force before it succumbs to its injuries, unless it is a fragile, old person who would die even after impact at low speeds. The evidence is there to prove that speed plays a definite part in collisions and so cracking down on persons speeding and imposing harsher penalties should certainly be a deterrent. But we want that the authorities go one step further, and we are making yet another call for the authorities to acquire and install speed cameras that can be installed across the island. They can be the eyes of the police who cannot be everywhere,” she said.

With that in mind, Roland-Bowen said that while the costs associated with the acquisition of such cameras could be quite high, she does not believe that the authorities should allow that to be a deciding factor in whether they purchase the cameras or not. The road safety advocate was adamant that those devices would pay for themselves in a quick time and simultaneously help to save lives on our roads.

“The benefits are two-fold, where persons are caught on camera speeding they can issued with a ticket and fined, and once persons know that cameras are in place and they are being monitored, even if they have the temptation, they would be less inclined to drive beyond the speed limit, making our roads safer for motorists and pedestrians alike,” she said. (JRT)

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