Clamp down on the motorcyclists

THE EDITOR, Madam:

THIS YEAR, just like last year, and the year before that, the nation is being informed that we are on course to set a new record as it relates to traffic fatalities. It is highly likely that come next year, it will be the same story. Motorcyclists, we are told, contribute significantly to these numbers.

Everyone knows that upwards of 85 per cent of the motorcycles on our roads are not legal, and it is an open secret that motorcycles facilitate many a crime across the country. Firearm conveyance and purse snatching come readily to mind.

Now armed with this information, one should have expected that a police force serious about reducing the carnage on our roads and pre-empting crime would be out there stopping and checking every single motorcycle on our roads even if the rider happened to be the prime minister.

Our lawmakers should, posthaste, make it so that this infraction carries a fine of $10,000 or at least a week in jail. The law should also be amended so that if the documents for any motorcycle checked cannot be produced on the spot, a maximum of 30 days be allowed for the driver to so do, after the expiration of which ownership of said motorcycle is forfeited.

It stands to reason that implementing these measures would result in an instant reduction in the number of motorcycles on our roads. This would translate into fewer fatalities and a reduction in crime facilitated by motorcycles. There is no need to warn people about the operation. Simply get on with it and pick the low-hanging fruit, for heaven’s sake!

CORETTA BURGESS