Major road-safety concerns

I requested the reasons for drafting a new Road Traffic Act and the National Road Safety Council very kindly sent them to me. They cover several important areas of concern. The proposed changes also seek to address new dangers posed by modern communication and entertainment technology and introduce graduated, more stringent learner-driver regulations.

However, there are a few other major concerns that I would love to see addressed. I remain very worried that there aren't any visible efforts to ensure that motorbike riders always wear helmets properly. I see a minority of motorcyclists wearing crash helmets, yet I have never seen any motorcyclist being stopped for not wearing one. Some travel with helmets partially perched on their heads. Others put helmets atop the gas tank cover, on the handlebar or strapped to the side of the motorbike.

All this permissiveness must be viewed in light of what I recently read about motorcycle safety. Motorcyclists are 16 times more likely to be involved in a serious accident than motor car drivers. And, if they crash, motorcycle deaths are nearly 30 times more likely than with other vehicles. Another statistic is that operators of superbikes (we have many of those) are in far more danger than other bike riders, yet they too zoom around bareheaded.

Pickups have long ago evolved into powerful, speedy and sometimes flashy means of transport. In spite of that horrendous crash in front of Jamaica College last year, when workers in the back of a pickup were thrown out and killed, no effort has been made to address this extremely glaring shortcoming in our laws. People within the (protective) cab of pickups are prosecuted for not wearing seat belts while unrestrained and unprotected men, women and, oftentimes, little children in the open back are ignored. This sort of thing mesmerises me.I notice occasional efforts being made to police some traffic intersections well known for blatant violations (especially by route taxis and small or medium-size buses). However, even I (a relatively infrequent road user) always see drivers overtaking long lines of traffic, forming new lanes in the middle of the road, beating traffic lines by using designated turning lanes to go straight ahead, undertaking, changing lanes willy-nilly without signalling and in a dangerous manner, tailgating, cutting off other drivers and committing a myriad of other dangerous offences too numerous to mention.

More surveillance

Constantly policing road hogs is impossible. We need electronic surveillance and undercover traffic police to perform in-traffic and clandestine monitoring. The undercover traffic cops could be part of the regular constabulary, district constables or volunteer citizens duly empowered to observe, report on offences and represent the Crown in court if necessary. They could drive in the traffic like the rest of us, pose as regular public transport passengers and/or simply be posted at various roadsides and intersections to note the licence plates, type of vehicle, colour, location, date and time of the offence. It is also very obvious to me that there are many existing drivers with fraudulent driver's licences. We will never be able to detect every fraudulent one. However, in lieu of traffic fines or accumulating points, some offences could be settled with drivers attending driving classes. That way, at least some ignoramuses will be somewhat educated on the rules of the road. And, finally, no matter what we do, there are always going to be people who drive on bogus permits and bicyclists and pedestrians who endanger themselves and others on the roads. In order to save lives, all high-school students should be taught the road code.

Garth A. Rattray is a physician with a family practice. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and rattraygarthrattray@gmail.com.