Those who pay are equally guilty
Published:Friday | October 23, 2020 | 12:11 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
There was a story in The Gleaner of a man who is accused of taking money to provide a driver’s licence, which is now a police matter.
This is one of the most dangerous things one can do, to facilitate the use of a vehicle on public thoroughfare when one lacks the skills to drive that vehicle safely. I often wonder how many road deaths and serious injuries are caused by this practice.
There is, however, another side to this story that always bothers me whenever I hear persons making these complaints. In this case, did the woman who paid this man J$100,000 think that the proper way to get a driver’s license was to pay some person and sit at home and just wait for the licence? How would this help her to master the skills involved in driving and manoeuvring a vehicle? What about reversing, overtaking, parking, etc?
It is my view that these problems persist because of a fundamental flaw in the relevant laws. I believe that the complainant is just as – or maybe more – guilty of wrongdoing in matters such as these. Here are persons who are providing an incentive in the form of remuneration to break the law.
It seems the way to rid ourselves of this problem is to bring both parties before the court and punish them equally.
GLENN TUCKER