IF THE CURRENT TREND holds, and for the next 48 hours or so Barbadians choose to exercise good judgement, the country will finish 2016 with one of the lowest road fatality figures in many years. So far, according to police statistics, ten people have died on our roads.
This compares with 22 last year, 14 in 2014, and 18 each in 2013 and 2012. Interestingly, these statistics appear to run counter to the sense of many Barbadians that our roads, which are estimated to be populated by about 120 000 vehicles, are awash with lawless, uncaring motorists and pedestrians.
And truth be told, a trip around the country any given day offers ample support for this belief.
We see far too many instances of motorists running red lights, refusing to stop behind the white line at junctions, overtaking improperly, driving at excessive speeds, parking in locations that expose others to mortal injury, cyclists executing dangerous stunts in heavy traffic – and the list goes on.
The public transport sector adds its share of challenges to the mix when operators stop almost anywhere to set down and pick up passengers, stop with such frequency that they frustrate motorists behind them into making unsafe manoeuvres, and generally display bad manners.
Those responsible for our roadways also contribute to the problem, especially at the present time when there are so many potholes that it is not unusual to happen upon another motorist driving on the wrong side of the road to avoid damage to his or her vehicle, or upon a can, stone or some other dangerous object in the road, placed there by some wayside vendor or commuters waiting at a bus stop to force motorists away from splashing them when it rains.
Too many of our busiest roads are still without sidewalks for miles at a time and all across the country there are blind junctions that should have been eliminated since the horse and cart days, but which are today made worse by the absence of any kind of consistent roadside debushing programme.
These factors together would suggest that the loss of just ten lives so far, despite the fact that even one life lost is too many, must be regarded as a major achievement. It is of critical importance that authorities carefully examine all the factors that have contributed to this and strengthen them.
We offer this advice ever mindful of the reality that road fatalities cannot be regarded as the only, or even the best measure, of how safe our roads are. In fact, just a few weeks ago some of our leading vehicle insurers were lamenting the number and quantum of settlements they were being forced to make as a result of accidents with injuries. Settling fatality claims, they explained, is far less costly than supporting the injured, sometimes for the rest of their lives.
That being the case, we invite Barbadians to support and heed the advice of organisations such as the Barbados Road Safety Association and the Royal Barbados Police Force as they set out to make our streets safer for all users. And we invite all Barbadians to start this holiday weekend by being responsible in their drinking, particularly on Old Year’s Night.
This is not just a matter for motorists, even though an impaired driver behind the wheel of a vehicle can cause untold damage, because a drunk pedestrian who is unable to walk the streets without straying into the path of speeding traffic is also a danger to himself and others.
Keeping the 2016 traffic fatality number at ten requires the prudence and care of all who will be using the roads today and tomorrow.
