SECURING FUNDS for their programmes in these times is like “begging for alms”, reports the Barbados Road Safety Association.
And president Sharmane Roland-Bowen is not satisfied Barbadians are paying enough attention to their safety and that of their children on the road.
During an interview yesterday at a defensive driving course in partnership with CGM Gallagher at CGI Insurance, Collymore Rock, St Michael, Roland-Bowen said they still had a long way to go.
“We have now entered the fourth year into the Decade of Action for Road Safety and progress could be much better. We need to pay more attention to what is happening out there; all stakeholders must come together and take this seriously as road accidents are predicted to go up in Latin America and the Caribbean,” she said.
Roland-Bowen said there were still too many incidents of people driving while on mobile devices and those who are not using seatbelts or child restraining devices.
“We are only hearing about legislation but we need it to come forth urgently – legislation dealing with distracted driving; legislation dealing with alcohol and driving and legislation dealing with seatbelts.
“We have legislation for persons to wear seatbelts both front and back but we are not enforcing it vigorously enough. We also need to look at child restraints – parents don’t seem to know the dangers of travelling with their children without proper restraints. If you love them, protect their safety; no money is too much to protect them,” she said.
In terms of sponsorship, public relations officer Richard Cox said it was hard going.
“We should use this [opportunity] to appeal for more companies and for those who support us in secret to come forward because in many cases we actually had to stand outside supermarkets and beg alms to get money to complete our school programmes so we would like to use this opportunity to beg all those who think we are doing a good job to come forward and lend support,” he said.
Roland-Bowed added that while securing sponsorship was indeed difficult, the association had no intention of giving up as “we have to find a way”.
