As the road carnage continues, are we really up to dealing with this now national problem?
We hear, see and read all the road safety ads about drinking and driving, speeding, overtaking and all the other bad ways of driving that we have become accustomed to. But do they do anything to have safer roads? The answer is no!
It is time we dig our heads out of the sand and start to face the real problem with our driving habits; and lay blame at the feet of those responsible—we the drivers and all the relevant affiliated bodies from the Licensing Authority and Police Service, insurance companies, vehicle inspection, Customs and Ministry of Works—for the pot holes and uneven roads.
Many times, I am sure, drivers on highways have seen parked police cars with flashing blue lights on, and at the same time have seen speeding cars flying past and moving from lane to lane, while the police car remains parked. We have seen cars driving without headlights on, no brake lights, no rear lights and they continue driving as if not to use lights at night is the law. Some even have “coloured” lights at the front.
Using hand-held cell phones while driving is once again the norm.
Then there is the Licensing Authority which should pay more time and attention to the condition of cars going for inspection. Some are painted in some type of paint that changes colour depending on the sunlight. I have often wondered what colour goes on the certified ownership certificate.
What about the smooth tyres? And yet these vehicles are certified road worthy. New drivers should now have to pass an advanced driving test and should not be allowed to drive on their own for at least six months without another driver in the car who should have five or more years’ driving experience. Let’s not mention the loud music.
Insurance companies should not allow people under the age of 25 to drive vehicles over a certain CC engine rating even if they can pay the excess insurance rate. They should also insist on seeing the Motor Inspection certificate, which again, by law, all cars over five years must have after being inspected every two years, before the insurance policy is renewed.
Ever stop to figure out how the foreign used tyres, the multi-coloured lights that we see at the front of some cars, the other bits and pieces that are used to change the manufactures design and specs, and so many others things to “pretty up the car” come into the country?
The non-enforcement of many of our traffic laws is a major contributor to the bad driving habits that we experience today, and it will continue until something meaningful is done.
And please let us stop using the term “lost control” for just plain speeding. No one can effectively control a vehicle over 80 km per hour. We don’t need any new laws or press conferences or old talk.
The above are just a few of the problems that we will have to deal with if we are to improve the bad driving and road habits we have had for years. The time has come for commitment and the will to enforce the laws, something we have grown unaccustomed to in this country.
We need the existing laws to be enforced and adhered to by all before we will see an improvement in road safety.
C Peters