Too much talk and no concrete action

THE EDITOR, Madam:

The powers that be, from ever since, have had a laid-back, carefree attitude when it comes to disciplining wrongdoers with harsh punishment; and a negative attitude pertaining to the value and preciousness of life.

I am sick and tired of those in authority who are not placing more value on human life because of the way they deal with ‘gunbwoys’, criminals and dangerous road hogs.

Countless letters have been written to newspapers and countless calls made to radio talk show programmes about the mayhem on the roads that has resulted in pain and grief for far too many Jamaicans, yet the traffic authorities are still not using their thinking caps and taking drastic action against the culprits.

The powers that be ought to take 50 per cent of the blame for the thousands of lives lost over the years in motor vehicle accidents.

The sad reality is that people will continue to die senselessly in traffic crashes as long as the authorities continue to ‘jest’; continue talking too much without taking concrete action to solve the problem.

If we take the following actions, I believe there will be a great decline in road fatalities:

• Hit and run motorists causing deaths should be given 60 years in prison.

• Motorists who are speeding and cause deaths by accidents: 60 years in prison.

• Reckless road hogs who overtake other vehicles wrongfully, leading to collisions, causing deaths, should also be given 60 years in prison, especially if they were warned to stop speeding or were issued multiple traffic tickets.

DONALD MCKOY