Today everything on four wheels and two wheels is in a tremendous hurry. We have become a society addicted to speed, but at the same time, going nowhere fast. Once we are no longer on wheels, the exhilarating pace, akin to the speed and demanding time constraints of the oil industry, evaporates and we resume our laissez-faire approach to life. What’s the hurry?
Commuting in the bottle-necked confines of the city during business hours has evolved into a daylight nightmare. Oversized trucks rule the roost, minibus drivers constantly switch lanes, and incessant honking of horns by all comers is the order of the day. Drivers no longer stop behind the lines at intersections or corners, opting instead to “stick their noses out” to halt flowing traffic and facilitate a speedy transition across the grid. Motorcyclists appear from every direction, weaving in and out of lanes at high speeds, with apparent total disregard for their own, or their pillion riders’ lives. The average commuter is no longer willing to wait his or her turn to proceed; everyone is more important than everyone else.
One is exposed to this epidemic of reckless abandon wherever one risks driving. For instance, on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway, despite the numerous stretches of crumbling asphalt and the high probability of broken-down oversize logging trucks, one can witness daily daredevil performances regardless of the time of day or night. Driving on the wrong side of the carriageway to circumvent extended warped, and, or, shoddily patched pavement is par for the course. Whether it is pea soup thick early morning fog or blitzing rain, exhilarating speed is the name of the game. In extreme darkness, one can expect to be frighteningly confronted by the high beams of swift approaching vehicles whose drivers are likely to respond to flickering appeals for the dimming of their lights by blatantly ignoring the urgent pleas.
The five C’s of driving – care, caution, consideration, common sense and courtesy – which new drivers are supposed to learn at driving lectures are paid minimal lip service, as drivers charge around the city with wanton disregard for law and order. The absence of adherence to the Highway Code leads one to the reluctant (and sad) conclusion that many of the newly licenced drivers are illiterate and are incapable of reading road signage. A casual perusal of the print media reveals that nary a week passes without additions to an ever-disturbing escalating total of road carnage.
One would be inclined to hastily cast the blame for this depressing situation at the feet of the Guyana Police Force (GPF). Whilst they are the designated authority to keep our roads safe, one must acknowledge there are other mitigating factors involved here, and besides, it is impractical to police every intersection daily. Additionally, there are the obvious lack of proper driver training, the alleged ‘buying’ of driver licences – an enduring legacy in our society – the burgeoning vehicle population (unconfirmed reports suggest that we have completed two series of licencing plates in the last year, i.e. 20,000 vehicles), and the current state and width of our roads. The latter two factors combining to create a quagmire which spills over into the parking of vehicles on corners, thus, forcing drivers to creep into intersections since they are unable to see approaching traffic.
These problems are further blended with the human element. The lack of senior leadership in tackling this growing conundrum at its source and setting the correct example when they are using the roads, and the breakdown across the board of respect and courtesy amongst society have combined with the aforementioned factors to produce this unholy mess we find ourselves fighting every day. In the first instance, the apparent lack of enforcement of fines for excessive speeding and the suspension of licences for careless and dangerous driving no doubt lends to an air of invincibility among our street ‘racing drivers’ .
A controlled study carried out in Europe years ago confirms that we can actually get to our destinations faster if everyone was to conform to the rules of the road, and even importantly, reduce the extra wear and tear incurred by constant accelerating and sharp braking by as much as 20 percent on every trip. Unfortunately, our society’s approach to commuting has today inculcated a “Devil-take-the-hindmost” attitude in which we display little or no respect for our fellow road users.
Herein lies the crux of problem. How do we set about resolving this enigma of re-educating a society ingrained with bad habits? It’s easy to point the finger at the GPF, but until the society accepts the responsibility that it has to slow down, obey the laws and rules, and share the road with respect, this current “I’m in a hurry” mentality will get it nowhere.