We cannot stop the rain from falling but we can get the stray animals off our roads

Feb 07, 2012 Letters

Dear Editor,
I wish to express my deep concern over the fact that cattle owners are continuing to have their animals (particularly cows) create hazardous conditions in our traffic, consequentially to the loss of more human lives.
The consequences of the tragic traffic accident have left a four months baby who will grow up not experiencing the true love of her real Father and too young to realize this vital family loss and will only know him photographically.
A wife is left without a husband, a mother without a son, other relatives and friends too who will never again enjoy the company of these young men.
I am deeply sympathetic for the families of these two young men who met their demise on the 2nd of February 2012 on the Mahaicony road after their vehicle was slammed by a truck as the driver of the truck reportedly swerved from a cow. My question is, Editor, how long will we simply keep updating the road fatality statistics and not take more drastic measures to bring these situations under control, to keep the stray animals off our roads?
This situation continues to be a potential treat and one of serious concern for the safety of all road users. Who is responsible? When will something be done to stop the carnage?
Let me say if the owners can be found then they too must be arrested and prosecuted, if they are no owners then the animal/s must be taken into custody(impounded) in accordance with the law.
These animals do have owners but as we all know, the owners will never come forward. As an owner of a vehicle has to register his vehicle for fitness, revenue license, insurance, etc. and has to produce same to a Police/Traffic Officer, when requested to, same must apply to cattle owners. They must be mandated to brand all their animals and be in possession of such license/permit/certificate.
The system must be geared as well to carry out inspections to ensure that all cattle owners have the capacity to keep their herds restrained, firstly from becoming a potential traffic hazard , and secondly from becoming public nuisance.
I am not a driver by occupation but I do drive as well, so let me emphatically share a few things with the general reading public.
It is incumbent on everyone to drive defensively, moreso when confronted with a potential situation which can result in an accident.
To heed warnings, observe the five Cs, drive to the condition, avoid at-risk behaviors, are all prerequisites for the prevention of accidents. Animals on a road, water, a deep curve/turn, and pot-holes, to name a few, are not excuses or causes of accidents. Instead they are really deficiencies which have created potential HAZARDS which can contribute to accidents.
On the other hand, because of the lack of responsible and defensive driving by some drivers and other road users, these contributory factors are viewed in their context as the cause(s), particularly when they fail to exercise proper judgment.
As the song says ‘blame it on the rain’. We cannot stop the rain from falling but we can get the stray animals off our roads. We can implement a system to deal with the cattle owners who fail to comply with the law.
As a citizen of this country and a worker within the Bauxite industry, Safety is my business and the safety of people, whether on the road or on the job site should be everyone’s business as well.
I wish to plea to those in Authority and those concerned to execute the measures and appropriate actions necessary to help save human lives on our roads. It was Nandram Rooplall and Tejram Haimnaut on the 2nd of February, the next time around it can be any one of us. Responsible people act responsibly, so it must be when we are using the road. If one takes a careful look at the driving culture in this country of ours and see how many of the 5Cs are regularly applied as people drive, one will conclude “thank you Lord for bringing me home safely.” It is just so disappointing.
DRIVE SAFELY, DRIVE DEFENSIVELY. IT IS NOT A MATTER OF SPEED THAT TAKES YOU TO YOUR DESTINATION SAFELY BUT RATHER A TRUE SENSE OF BEING ROAD SAFETY CONSCIOUS AND TO STAY FOCUS.
R.A. Williams

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