How much more can people take?

Sep 03, 2016 Editorial, Features / Columnists

The mayhem on our roads continues unabated and there seems to be no comprehensive strategy to combat it and ease the suffering. Hardly a day passes without heartbreaking messages being conveyed to families about the death of their loved ones.
It may sound repetitive, but there are too many reckless drivers on our roads. The recent demise of a young man on Regent Street is one too many. He lost his life when the minibus in which he was a passenger toppled several times before smashing into a utility pole. Only a reckless individual could have been driving that vehicle.
How much more can people take before a solution is found? How long before reckless and drunk drivers, who are responsible for most of the traffic fatalities, wake up to the reality that they are just as dangerous as the gun-toting, heartless criminals who are running rampant and murdering with impunity.
Nothing seems to guarantee safety on the roads today. Very few drivers obey the rules and speed limits, and they seem not to care for their own lives, much less the lives of others. The question is: How many more will have to die before the slaughter on the roads ends and what more needs to be done?
Just a few days ago, a woman was in a minibus on her way home from work. Her day began just like any other, but it ended in tragedy. Before she could reach her destination, her family was in mourning.
According to the Police report, the bus she was in collided with a car and she became that day’s fatality. Her son, only 14 years old, was at home when she left for work, and like a dutiful child, he wished his mother a good day. When he arrived on the scene he immediately realized the gravity of his loss. Who could wish this on anyone? Imagine the grief; think of the pain and emptiness. Sadly, word from the police was that the driver did not have a licence.
What kind of society have we become? We are well aware that the Police have their hands full in maintaining law and order. They cannot do much more because of scarce resources and shortage of manpower. It is bad enough for people to be dodging the bullets from criminals, now the roadways have multiple weapons of destruction.
Answers are needed urgently. Drivers should be trained to accept the responsibility which comes with being behind the wheel of a vehicle. They need to know that the road system comprises three elements: (i) the roads (ii) vehicles and (iii) drivers and pedestrians. They interact with each other and sometimes with other external elements such as animals, therefore it is important for drivers to understand the nature of this interaction and the likelihood and severity of risks associated with them, if the rules are not followed.
Some may argue that drivers are not the only ones to blame for the traffic fatalities. Unfortunately, many of our roads and highways suffer from poor pavement surface quality, narrow lane widths, poor signage and lane demarcation and illegal accesses. Law enforcement officials have apparently done all they can so far, but they have been not been able to reduce the spate of accidents and fatalities on the roads. While those in authority talk about curbing traffic fatalities, lives are still being lost daily on our roads.
Most drivers do not show even the slightest remorse for their roles in the mayhem. Vehicles have become killing machines. How many more lives can we afford to lose in this manner?

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