Garth Rattray
I HEAR that Commissioner of Police Lucius Thomas is a serious and progressive man. I'm therefore trying this direct approach out of desperation. Although many people, including I, have written on the very serious topic of dangerous traffic violations on numerous occasions, the situation remains unchanged. Over the holidays, my horror at how people drive on the roads was only surpassed by my surprise that we don't have more traffic-related deaths. Obviously, good drivers have developed skilful defensive (survival) driving techniques because they expect road hogs to do stupid, inconsiderate things.
I know that the police are trying to reduce road fatalities, but the methods being employed need revision. Ticketing mostly for excessive speed is all well and good, but the majority of the life-threatening violations also involve tailgating, zig-zagging between lanes, cutting in too soon and improper overtaking (especially of long lines of traffic, around corners, over hills, in the face of oncoming traffic, without signalling and in designated 'no overtaking' zones).
REVENUE OVER SAFETY?
Is revenue from road code violations being given priority over our safety? Everyone knows that the police are far more active on the roads at the end of every month and especially near the end of the financial year. Although required by law, an expired licence disc never killed anyone; nevertheless, an inordinate amount of time and effort is put into monitoring cars for this violation. Some months ago, the police had several tow trucks collecting motor cars with expired licence discs along Woodglen Avenue. A sullen-looking sergeant glowered at our windshields as he walked in between the traffic in search of the 'law-breakers'. Yet, only a few metres away on Molynes Road, minibuses, hoggish drivers and route taxis were overtaking long lines of 5:00 p.m. traffic, overtaking at the pedestrian crossings, forming a third lane and going straight from the turning lane at the 'Four Roads' intersection - their extremely dangerous antics remained unobserved because the police were busily impounding cars for an expired date on a piece of coloured plastic.
Speed traps certainly generate revenue for the country and quite a tidy sum for rogue cops, but excessive speeding only ranks 10th in the causes of traffic accidents. Besides, veteran drivers know where there is likely to be speed traps and flashing headlights alert people to the 'danger' ahead. We need far more in-traffic patrols and monitoring of known 'hot spots' like the Mandela Highway during peak hours and when gangster-looking funeral processions commandeer the road on their way to bury their dearly departed.
'WHISPER'
I see the big police cruisers on the new highway pulling over people for speeding, but I have never seen them pull over or warn anyone for travelling slowly in the right lane although this forces faster moving traffic to pass on the left or to change lanes suddenly and dangerously. It's good that cops frequently monitor speeding through Central Village, but I never see one when a certain heavily patronised Toyota Coaster bus-line (reputed for the fastest time from Kingston to Spanish Town) does anything but 'Whisper' while boring through traffic, flying by at high speeds and changing lanes erratically. I never see any cops when huge trucks blow cars already doing 80 km/h out of the lane or when weaving road hogs pass other vehicles and cut in so dangerously that their victims have to brake suddenly, swerve left or seek refuge on the soft shoulder.
Please Mr. Commissioner, send your able men into the traffic to drive along the roads so that their presence can be felt and so that they can better monitor the events that cause crashes, suffering, loss and death. Please send some in unmarked cars and even deputise regular citizens to report serious offences by radio (I am volunteering once again).
Please increase the speed limit from that ridiculous 50 km/h to 65 km/h along revenue-producing speed trap alleys like Marcus Garvey Drive and Michael Manley Highway and monitor the way people drive instead. Please also lobby for night traffic school for offenders and less of this exorbitant ticketing expressly designed to augment government coffers.
Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice.
