THE EDITOR, Sir:
THE INCREASING death toll on our roads is a matter of concern to all Jamaicans and the Ministry of Health is hard-pressed to take care of the many accident victims.
The Government's response to this is to increase traffic fines, to take out expensive advertisements on TV and to make appeals in public speeches. All these are good in their own way but we need more than that. Many of our drivers need to be educated on the use of our roads. The punitive fines may increase the government's coffers, but in the end, do not produce better drivers.
I would like to propose that in place of fines for some offences it should be mandatory for the offender to attend classes for a specific number of hours. One might ask, who will conduct these classes?
I am sure that in our parishes there are persons, not the police, who are well trained, both here and overseas, in the rudiments of road use and mechanics. There could be some method of identifying these persons and having them tested and certified to carry out such classes whenever they are necessary. Remuneration would be on the basis of hours spent in conducting these classes. Between the courts and the police, these classes could be monitored.
The government would collect less revenue, but the lives of many Jamaicans would be preserved and in the end we would have better drivers on the road.
I am, etc.,
DOREEN
MCLEOD-BRAMWELL
PO Box 52
Port Antonio
