Slaughter on the highways

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Every time I hear about the accidents on the road and see graphic pictures of the wrecked vehicles, I get the shivers realising how close I came to be added to that great number of fatalities not very long ago, after a record of accident-free driving for 50 years.

This was not due to speeding by either party, but because the vehicle which crashed into mine was overloaded, and on tyres unsuitable for the load. Unsuitable tyres have often been neglected as a major cause of road accidents.

A tyre may look good on the surface, but there are other factors which make a tyre safe or otherwise for the condition under which the vehicle is operating. A tyre which blows out at high speeds makes a vehicle difficult to control. I believe that used tyres should not be imported into Jamaica for general use.

PENALTY FOR INFRINGEMENT

One should not be surprised at the high fatality rate on our roads for a number of reasons. Some of these are: lack of proper and adequate signage, lane markings, sidewalks for pedestrians, police turning a blind eye to infringements, and insufficient police patrols. In what other civilised country would a driver be allowed to accumulate hundreds of tickets and not be put in jail? Or still be allowed to drive public passenger vehicles?

For example, in Ontario, with its beautiful highways, the speed limit is 100 kilometres per hour; and if you are caught driving 50km over the limit, your licence is confiscated by the police on the spot. You are not even allowed to drive the vehicle home.

The unnecessary use of horns and noisy vehicles also attract a serious fine there. In Jamaica, our limit is 110 on the limited highways we have, and hardly any penalty for infringement. No big thing, they say. Some reckless overtakings which I have witnessed make me wonder what plans those drivers have for the few seconds they hope to save. ‘Haste often makes waste’ as the proverb goes, and many Jamaicans often cause death because of impatience.

I am sure Jamaica anxiously awaits the long-expected ‘messiah’ in the form of the new Road Traffic Act. Chances are that it will be no better than the one it replaces, if it is not enforced and the bad attitude and old habits continue.

TREVOR SAMUELS