Letter of the Day | Creative policing needed to control traffic mayhem

THE EDITOR, Madam:

I’m sorry, but I’m not feeling the hand of our new police commissioner on the deplorable traffic situation. My, perhaps misguided, expectation was that he would give priority to the mayhem on our roads, because I think if the rampant disregard for human life and welfare that currently exists is addressed, it will help to improve the quality of life in all other areas. I therefore hoped and prayed that from day one, our commissioner would have declared an assault on the reckless taxi drivers and other indisciplined motorists who make daily travel on our roads sheer hell.

Perhaps something is being done, but I fail to see any improvement. Instead, it seems to get progressively worse each day. Babies and toddlers have a ‘me first’ mentality, but they learn to grow out of it. However, it appears that some motorists have not progressed from that stage of mental development, so they disregard rules of the road to show one-upmanship. In many cases, the larger or more ostentatious the vehicle, including buses, the worse the behaviour of the drivers.

The connected craters that pass for some roadways do not help, as they encourage bobbing and weaving without regard for oncoming traffic.

It may be a simplistic view, but I think that the well-ordered society that we dream of having is within our reach, if traffic is controlled in a systematic and consistent way.

Just imagine the decreased stress levels and the consequent improvement in the mental health of our citizenry if the traffic situation was improved. Just imagine the reduced strain on our hospital resources if we had fewer accidents and road fatalities.

Just imagine the values to be transferred to the children who witness their parents and other road users displaying civility and plain good manners when driving.

We do not need draconian measures to make these changes. There certainly needs to be more creative policing on our roads, with the firm intention of encouraging good practices, rather than ad hoc trapping of motorists and levying fines. I look forward to seeing the firm hand of our commissioner on this abominable situation.

CLAUDETTE CARTER