TWO?MOTHERS, still grieving for sons who died in a road accident soon after Mother’s Day 2011, have supported the Barbados Road Safety Association (BRSA)?in its appeal to motorcyclists to ride safely on the roads.
The?BRSA yesterday erected a road safety sign on the spot in Deacons Farm, St Michael, where best friends Jamal Johnson, 20, and Anderson “Andy” Williams, 21, lost their lives when the motorcycle they were riding slammed into a tree on May 9, the day after Mother’s Day.
Grieving mothers Angela Bascombe and Deborah Williams, as well as family members and friends, some wearing T-shirts and/or badges with the photos of the two men, gathered at the spot and watched as Sharmane Roland-Bowen, head of the BRSA, planted the white sign with the words Please Drive Safely.
Constituency representative for the area, Chris Sinckler, was also in attendance.
Pointing out that road fatalities were on the increase and that many cyclists had lost their lives in 2010 and this year, Roland-Bowen told the gathering that the accident involving the two youths should be a grim reminder to all.
She called on motorcyclists in particular not to engage in stunts while riding.
“I am making a special appeal to cyclists to desist from this practice because they not only endanger their lives but the lives of other road-users. What you do impacts on your family. Think about your parents, your children, brothers and sisters – people who care about you,” she said.
She also warned people not to drink and drive during the Christmas season. “Make sure you get a designated driver when going to all of the Christmas parties,” she advised.
While Bascombe broke down in tears and was unable to speak, Williams added her voice, appealing to road-users to be cautious.
“This is so hard on us. For the last seven months this has been a nightmare that I?can’t wake up from.
It leaves a hole in our hearts and a lot of pain,” she said.
Alex Callender, whose brother Daniel Callender also lost his life while riding a motorcycle last year, sponsored the road safety sign on behalf of his company A&A Wholesalers.
“I?want to plead to all road-users to cut out the lawlessness,” he said.
Sinckler said that, months later, the double tragedy in Deacons Farm “is still a very painful experience for the family and the entire community”.
He announced that the Road Safety Council, which was being established by Government, should be in place soon and it would be located in the office of the Prime Minister.
“The reason why it is at that level is because of the seriousness of these issues,” he said, while praising the BRSA for the tremendous work it was doing to sensitise Barbadians to road safety.
