Dear Editor,
Whatever happened to the designated driver as a default mechanism? What is so costly to hire a cab? Ever heard the saying “speed thrills but kills?” Doesn’t anyone listen anymore to the song “Tell Laura/ Johnny, I love her/him?” Do we joyfully ride with the five Cs in the driver’s seat or woefully locked in the trunk – care, caution, consideration, courtesy and common-sense? Does ‘prevention better than cure’ serve any meaningful purpose? Do we choose to become a matured driver overnight or to toil by experience and exposure over a long journey with old man time?
Was the now motionless, weekend driver distracted by someone or something suddenly crossing in front of the car or was his attention taken away by someone or something inside the moving vehicle? Was speeding the determining factor for a demise or the overpowering state of drunkenness? Was losing control a conclusive element due to carelessness and recklessness? Was poor judgement a result of inexperience or the inability of proper application? Was there a tire blow out or mechanical failure or a road hurdle or simply, a human error? Was there loud music (noise?) playing? We can drive down the highway to no way and perform a post mortem to investigate, examine or probe the reasons to find the cause of the accident (?), but that will not bring back the lost lives.
In Guyana we say, “Easy lesson good fuh dunce.” But what about the sensible ones? Isn’t there a lesson to be learnt from all the accidents which have occurred in Guyana? The police cannot be here, there and everywhere 24 x 7. Will the speed bumps serve as a deterrent? Will the stop and search be effective? Will the speed guns be persuasive to discourage speeding? Will the CCTVs be the answer? Will higher fines or jail sentences for the guilty ones serve any meaningful purpose? Will temporary or permanent suspension of the driver‘s license add to the misery or contribute to less accidents? How about raising the age limit? Is this feasible? Is there a need to revamp the training and educating program for new drivers? Any encouragement on the death penalty?
Many are questioning the efficient and effective functioning of the Traffic Department. How sincere and dedicated are all the officers in totality? “Write or left” still seems to be the provoking, proverbial and profitable pretense to prevent the prosecution of prime “perpetrators”. New recruits out of training school are praying for traffic duties. Who has the stamina to stamp out this stigma? The dedicated and devoted officers on the right side of the road are paying a heavy price for those on the left side. Body cameras on all the traffic officers? Rotating officers perpetually to different areas may be feasible. Setting up decoys is too suggestive? How about police patrol cars constantly traversing the roads, especially during rush hours, to control the flow of traffic? Seems as if too many speed bumps are both annoying and distasteful. The usage of good, old traffic lights seems to be outdated. Are traffic cops standing in the middle of the road more practical and useful than regulated, functioning traffic lights?
Road carnage is an epidemic concern in Guyana. Patience is no longer virtuous. Due care and attention are not applied. President Irfaan Ali suggested many remedies because, “Drinking and driving, speeding need to be thoroughly addressed.” “There is need for a public awareness program in dealing with this (road accidents),” he said while calling for more visuals, marking and launching a massive road safety campaign. The re-opening of schools will see more children using the road and heavier traffic snarls. Saving lives is a national concern and each person is a stakeholder with an invaluable input. Drastic times call for drastic measures. Be safe, Guyana, and “Respect the Road.”
Sincerely,
Jai Lall