A PLEA FOR CAUTION
THE deaths of two more people on our nation’s roads on Easter Sunday, has prompted road safety advocate Sharmane Roland-Bowen to appeal for greater caution and care on our roads.
Roland-Bowen, President of the Barbados Road Safety Association (BRSA), as she expressed condolences to the two families, made an impassioned plea for all road users, passengers of vehicles included, to do their part to keep our roads safe. The BRSA President was speaking to The Barbados Advocate yesterday morning, as she lamented that half of the road deaths that have occurred for the year have been passengers.
“According to our records there have been eight fatalities, of those one in each category of road users – driver, motorcyclist, bicyclist and pedestrian, but even more alarming and heart-wrenching is that there were four passengers. So I am taking this appeal to passengers – take responsibility too, these messages are not just for drivers,” she maintained.
She added, “I want them to take responsibility for their own safety. I want them not to get into any vehicle with a driver who has been drinking alcohol; I want them to speak up if they are in a vehicle and the driver is driving distracted, if they are speeding. If they are speeding, I want them not to just sit down and say nothing. I want to remind them whether it is day or night, if the police are on the road or not, I want them to buckle up and not to put the safety of their lives solely in the hands of the driver.”
With that in mind, Roland-Bowen, while commending the Government for passing the amendments to the Road Traffic Act and for the steps taken thus far to enforce the provisions therein, she is calling on the relevant authorities to provide an update with regard to breathalyser testing. Contending that enforcement of that part of the legislation will play a key role in ensuring road safety in this country, she implored the authorities to move with alacrity to ensure breathalyser testing is in place as soon as possible.
“We have to look out for the public’s interest. I would like to know the equipment is here and the police are being trained and that we are saving lives,” Roland-Bowen stated.
The BRSA president is also encouraging individuals to do their part in encouraging family members and friends who are drivers to exercise the greatest caution on the nation’s roads.
“Let them know that you need them and love them and you need them to come back home safe; even if they don’t do it for themselves, ask them to do it for you. I want them to start appealing to their loved ones when they go on the roads because the roads are dangerous, there are many who drive out there without a care, without a responsibility and that can impact innocent lives,” she indicated.
Meanwhile, referring to their ‘Silent 4 Safety’ campaign, which encourages drivers to silence and put away their cell phones when driving, she said the first townhall meeting will be held next Thursday at the Princess Margaret Secondary School. She is therefore urging persons to come out and learn more about the various components of the amended Road Traffic Act and to get clarification on any aspects of the legislation that they require. (JRT)