The madness has returned to the roads

Dec 28, 2008 Editorial

Just when the police felt that they had a lid on road accidents, they have been confronted with seven road deaths over four days; four of them yesterday, and the others between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day.
When the nation observed Road Safety Day in November, the police were proud to report that they had succeeded in slashing road fatalities by almost 50 per cent, largely in part to the highly successful Operation Safeway.
In the run-up to the Christmas season, the police had announced that they would go even further to ensure that the roads are safe. They spoke of mounting additional patrols, and in the case of the city, which is often prone to congestion through additional pavement vending and the increased volume of traffic, they proposed using the tow truck to good effect.
Suddenly, over the past four days, all the plans and efforts seem to have gone through the window. In one case, a speeding minibus lost control, during a period of rainfall, and killed a vendor.
A man riding his bicycle along the West Coast Berbice Public Road is struck from behind by a speeding car and killed; some young boys on a night out slammed into a rail and killed one of their own, who happened to be a passenger.
Then there was yesterday, when a minibus, bent on breaking the land speed record, slammed into a parked bus, almost wiping out an entire family.
It is as if people have no regard for their own lives, because they ignore all the traffic rules that demand care, caution and commonsense. Where is the commonsense if a driver opts to speed along a road to the extent that he cannot control his vehicle? Where is the care if a driver attempts to drive beyond the scope of his vision?
These things happen because, more often than not, the penalties are not severe enough. People who are charged with vehicular homicide often escape with little more than a slap on the wrist. Sometimes a few go to jail for a short stint, and that in the end of the matter, because the survivors do not seek civil action.
When asked about the failure to further prosecute the errant road user, people would say that lawyers seek prohibitive sums before they would even undertake the case. Sometimes, those responsible for the accident would offer compensation. Just a few days ago, some young men who happened to be drag racing slammed into another vehicle and killed a woman who was scheduled to return to her overseas domicile.
Nothing much is being heard of this, because it is rumoured somewhere that the head of the household offered a substantial sum of money to the relatives of the dead woman to avert prosecution.
Indeed, many people, needful for a sum of money, often grab at the offer, contain their grief, and continue with their lives. Meanwhile, the police, having instituted charges, are left to rue the day, because they are told that there in no one to lead evidence against the accused.
The police say that there are laws that allow for the suspension of driver’s licences, fines that are no more than a pittance to most people; and in extreme circumstances, a ban. But it is here that the penalties become meaningless, because the police have no way of knowing who is suspended or banned.
In the first instance, there is no connection between the courts and the police, so an ordinary traffic rank, having stopped a driver, can in no way know that the licence is suspended, unless the courts place a stamp on it. Then, again, the police rank can be made to turn the Nelson’s eye.
Whatever the case, it would seem that careless road use has returned, and the police can do precious little, save to patrol the streets with the hope of catching speeders.
There is no support from the insurance companies, which refuse to hike insurance fees to accident-prone drivers. What is worse is that the passengers in a minibus get a token by way of compensation.
If there is a death, the amount of money paid by the insurance company, if any, is no more than US$100. No one is penalized, so the madness will continue.

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