Big Bikes should be banned

Jan 23, 2017 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

A few weeks ago, there was a terrible accident on the East Coast Public Road. The accident involved a rider of what is called “big bikes”, a motor bike above 250cc.
The biker crashed into a pedestrian and ended up falling heavily to the road surface. He died on the spot. The pedestrian also died. The rider reportedly had on a helmet but even that could not save him.
The authorities, concerned with safety on our roadways, must give thought to whether “big bikes” should be allowed on our roadways. Guyana’s roads are not suited for such bikes which have very fast acceleration and deceleration.
“Big bikes” should be banned. Those importing such bikes should be told that the only place where they will be allowed to ride such bikes is at the South Dakota Circuit.
The roads of Guyana are death traps for such bikes. There are stray dogs roaming the roads. There are houses and businesses alongside major public roads. Guyana’s road system is mainly organized in grids, which means that a major road is crisscrossed by other secondary roads. This is a predisposition for accidents.
Helmets really cannot adequately protect against injuries for those riding big bikes. In many instances, those killed die from fracture of their neck and not their craniums. “Big bikes” are a problem.
But they are not the only problem. We have a growing number of young men riding the popular CG motorcycles. Many of them are not licensed to ride a motor cycle. They have never registered in the programme that is required for certification. They do not have a provisional license. But they can be seen riding and without helmets.
The police try to chase some of them down but with little success. Some of them are stopped on the roadways by traffic ranks but somehow find a way of dodging prosecution.
These young riders are a threat to themselves. They are not properly trained to ride motor cycles. They are not licensed to do so. They have no insurance protection or coverage which means if they cause personal injury or property damage, there is no compensation for those injured or suffering losses.
These young lawbreakers are quite familiar with the law. They know the police cannot tie any charges against them to the payment of compensation, even though some rogue cops may try to do so.
They are coached by their peers that those suffering injuries and damage to property as a result of their negligence have to go via civil suit for compensation.
They know, of course, that the police can charge them for failure to have insurance coverage and that it possible for them to be jailed. The police also know this very well, but somehow the risk is worth taking.
The unlicensed and uninsured persons are a danger to themselves. They do not know to ride their bikes. They have not been lectured on the 5Cs. They are fully familiar with all the laws. They can get into an accident and get themselves killed or seriously injured.
They are a threat to their pillion riders. But even the pillion riders do not seem to care much about the fact that they are being towed by someone who should not be on our roads because that person is not licensed.
They are a danger to society because untrained drivers are a threat to human safety. Untrained drivers are more likely to be reckless on our roads because they do not have a sense of responsibility. Untrained drivers are obviously not covered by insurance and any injuries they cause others or any damages resulting from any accident in which they are involved will not be covered by insurance.
Big bikes and unlicensed riders should be barred from using our roads and this restriction should be rigorously enforced. Otherwise, the innocent will continue pay for those who are reckless when using our roadways.

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Latest News