Call to get tough with road hogs

Sharmaine Roland-Bowen. (FP)

Tue, December 25, 2012 - 12:07 AM

Claiming that it was too easy to obtain a driver’s licence in Barbados “and even easier to keep one”, the president of the Barbados Road Safety Association has called for drastic measures to curb escalating road deaths.

Sharmaine Roland-Bowen made a plea for stiffer penalties against offenders involved in road accidents, adding that it was about time the courts, insurance companies and Government played an even greater role in ensuring that the island’s roadways were kept safe.

So far for the year there have been 27 road deaths, five of them involving motorcyclists. For 2011 there were 22 road deaths recorded.

The latest road deaths included three people – a four-month-old infant and two teenagers. They were among five Durants Village, St James residents travelling in a car when it collided with a minibus along Gibbes Road, Mullins, St Peter, on Sunday. (MM)

Please read the full story in today’s DAILY NATION, or in the eNATION edition.

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Posted by Pan Wallie 4 months, 3 weeks ago: There is a need for expansion of the Traffic Court or allow for a singular but expanded Traffic Court to sevice the entire island, instead of the jurisdictional thing. Matters take too long to be adjudicated where individual Courts deal with a variety of cases. During that people some imbeciles repeatedly reoffend, care litttle about their wreckless and hope that with the passage of time, cases will drop off the map. There is to little suspension and revocation of drivers' licences. I agree that the fines are too small, they need to be stiffer and FORTHWITH. The followup of unpaid fines also calls for attention.

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Posted by Tony Waterman 4 months, 3 weeks ago: They are practically no consequences for Dangerous/Irresponsible Drivers in Barbados, they need to institute the DEMERIT Point System in Barbados, and Graduated Drivers Licencing, there is no way that a young driver who got his/Her Licence on a Friday Morning, should be out driving on a Saturday night, with a graduated Licence that person would not be eligible to drive any Vehicle between 6.00PM and 7.00 AM,so there would not be any chance of them having a Vehicular Collision, and if they disobey the rules and drive ,and is caught then they would not be eligible for a licence for 2 Years. Also the Insurance Companies would have to be tied to these rules, because anyone who loses their Licence would Automatically not be covered by insurance if found driving on the road. Traffic Fines should be quadrupled, and payable by Debit,Credit Cards, Money Orders, and Cash. Cars involved illegal road use should be Impounded for the duration of the Investigation/Court Trial, with fees for the length of time in the Compound.
will power is all that is needed