Dear Editor,
Reading the Stabroek News on November 25 I noticed four people lost their lives as a result of road accidents in different areas. One village away from where I reside, a young man lost his life a few days ago. After losing a relative and a few friends from accidents and seeing the drivers getting off free, I always get angry when I see allegations that the drivers are under the influence of alcohol. Along with the Guyana Police Force, there are a few NGOs trying to curb these careless killings, but it just seems as if these roadway killers are hell bent on keeping the death figures above those of the previous year.
I always maintain that the motorists always seems to be late on the public roads and if they were to drive within the speed limit accidents, especially the deadly ones, could be avoided because they will have more control of the vehicle. In addition, I never supported the daytime catching of stray animals on the roadways. The animals’ presence always seems to slow down traffic much better than a traffic officer’s presence, but if the motorists were driving at the legal speed limit and abiding with the laws of the road, then by all means get the animals off the road. However, at the moment, the animals’ presence seems to prevent a lot of deaths!
Editor, almost everywhere you turn, the taxi bases could be seen with taxis waiting for work, and in every shop/store you go there are taxis operating nearby in numbers. Because of the number, the rates are very low and that is a good thing for us. Now with the abundance of these taxis and the low rates, why would a driver still want to drink knowing that he has to drive? Is the drinking more important? Why not leave the vehicle at home and use taxis when going for drinks? Many folks with whom I discuss this matter ponder these same questions and come back with different solutions, but the bottom line is that most of them have no care for life on the roadways. I am relieved however to finally see a few drunk drivers being sent to jail recently.
There are many solutions to preventing road accidents, but instead of the roadways getting safer, they’re getting worse. It’s time many of us stopped relying on the relevant authorities and started putting preventative measures in place. Money is important to the liquor restaurants, and the proprietors would not monitor or refuse to sell to a driver because he wouldn’t want to lose the customer, but then again that causes other people to be in distress. Look at most rum shops/bars on the West Coast of Demerara and see how many vehicles are parked next to them, and if anyone monitors them, they will see many of the patrons exiting these places and driving the vehicles away. Many people boast that they know to handle themselves when they are drunk, but perhaps they could convince me how is that possible when they cannot walk properly, fall asleep at the table and get into fights, yet when they are sober that does not happen. It’s time people stopped believing that they get extra skills and strength when they are drunk!
Yours faithfully,
Sahadeo Bates
