We can reduce traffic fatalities
WE HAVE already exceeded 300 road fatalities this year. Traffic crashes and fatalities are particularly horrendous because they are mostly avoidable. People may make mistakes, but the current number of crashes, injuries and deaths on our roads represent indiscipline, impatience and a disregard for our laws.
The modern automobile is much faster than its predecessors. The engines are more efficient/ powerful, the transmissions are far better at sending the power from the engine to the wheels, they handle better on the roads, they are built with less and lighter material, and they are much more fun to drive.
When I was a young man, a regular car came with considerably less than 100 horsepower. Older performance sedans came with 105 horsepower, and their modified versions went up to between 140 and 145 horsepower. Nowadays, regular automobiles come with well over 100, or even over 200 horsepower. Modern, factory-produced (stock) performance sedans sometimes come with over 300 horsepower… that’s three times the horsepower of the older models.
The average vehicle begs to be driven at speed. The exhilaration of the acceleration, the feeling of ‘flying low’, the feel of the road beneath the tyres, the response to the steering, and the feeling of escape from the mundane are all powerful temptations for some drivers. Added to that, we are in an era of immediacy; everything is expected to happen right away. It takes patience to wait in a traffic line.
Operating a motor vehicle gives you a feeling of independence and control/power. Some find this overwhelming. They have control over something that obeys every command without hesitation. They do not have that kind of control over their lives, but they feel in total control of the vehicle. That gives them the opportunity to exert control over others. Once they can get away with it, they will overtake wherever they please, they will cut off whomever they want, they will go to the head of the line, drive on the hard or soft shoulder, ignore traffic signs/signals, and drive as fast as possible under any circumstances.
LONG GONE
Long gone are the days when we had to walk for miles to get from point A to point B. No longer must we get on a quadruped or hop on to a dray or a bicycle to get from one town to another. Email is making snail mail obsolete, tapping an icon is replacing dialling, and online shopping is rapid and extremely common. We can instantly message, speak with or see someone 12,000 miles away. Some drivers transfer that instant way of doing things to their driving; and that’s a very dangerous thing.
On Wednesday, August 3, 2022, The Gleaner headline read, “Police traffic unit branded ‘abject failure’…” In it, Senator Peter Bunting, leader of opposition business, lambasted the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch of the Jamaica Constabulary Force for the increased number of road fatalities since its inception. In my opinion, its failure is not because of a lack of effort, it is because there is an urgent need to adapt to the times in which we live.
Whenever I go on the road, I do not ‘feel’ a police presence. The police cannot be everywhere, and they are preoccupied with crime and security issues. But this thing of parking in certain spots for random document or speed checks is not effective enough. Regular road users know all the police spots, and some drivers warn oncoming traffic of the police checkpoints. People will detour, if possible, or drive slowly and carefully until they get past the cops, then they take off like crazy bats from Hell.
Most drivers in Kingston and St Andrew know that Red Hills Road, Molynes Road, and Elizabeth Avenue are infamous for minibuses and route taxies recklessly and dangerously overtaking long lines of traffic at speed, especially during peak hours. It is a rarity to see a police officer at any one of those locations prosecuting the lawbreakers. Their absence is so conspicuous that it is rumoured that the minibuses and taxis on those routes are likely owned by members of the constabulary.
LESS CRASHES
The technique being employed begs the question, how many serious crashes and fatalities occur wherever the police are stationed? I believe that the answer is none! Therefore, if the police were constantly driving up and down, among the traffic, it follows that there would be far less crashes and fatalities. I have always publicly suggested that the constabulary also enlist the help of responsible individuals, officially ‘deputise’ them by whatever means available, supply them with high-tech video-recording devices and allow them to record and report on the numerous drivers that flout the law. That way, drivers will never know who is watching them surreptitiously, and they will take care to drive better.
A huge problem is road-user education. Pedestrians, pedal cyclists, some motorcyclists, and drivers with ‘bandulu’ licences are clueless about the rules of the road. Use social and mainstream media to educate them, with animations of real-life scenarios to teach everyone about the rules and safety.
We need to employ extensive sting operations to nab the rogue cops. We need to focus on remedial driving courses, and compulsory re-education for lawbreakers, instead of high traffic fines and points. It has become a cat-andmouse game, instead of the safety issue that it should be.