We do not need more traffic laws; we need enforcement of existing ones

Dear Editor,

Guyana has undoubtedly descended into a state of perpetual lawlessness over the last decade or so, as is evidenced by the decadence we see daily in the family, schools, in public and private office, and more glaringly, on our roadways.

In every society, the adherence to the rule of law is guided by leadership that in itself, embraces good ethical practices that are not only enforced upon those at the lower levels, but on the upper hierarchy of the system. It stands to reason that deviant behaviour is learned, and as such, any progressive, law abiding society must first be founded on leaders who were nurtured in a system that cultivated uprightness and decency. Whether we want to be truthful or not, Guyana has not been a country known to have produced accountable, honest, decent leadership in key national institutions. What has resulted is a degradation of the moral compass of our country, where many citizens feel that they can do as they please because they have observed leaders showing scant regard for our established laws, while they face no consequences for their actions. The maxim “do as I say, but not as I do”, seems to hold true.

Many law-abiding citizens have been clamouring for more laws, but my considered view is that we have a serious problem with the enforcement of existing laws. This leads to the genesis of my concern ‒ lawlessness on our roads.

Without appearing sententious, I wish to highlight some of the problems that have plagued us with regard to the use of our roadways. For 2015, we have seen evidence of utter recklessness on our thoroughfares, which is evidenced by the statistics produced by the Guyana Police Force from January to September 2015. Here are some of them:

43,071 cases were made out for various traffic offences, of which 626 resulted in accidents, 78 of which were fatal. 17,582 cases were made out for speeding, 1,666 for driving under the influence (a very troubling number, even though many go undetected), 789 for using cell phones, 736 for breaching the traffic lights, 489 for driving without a licence, 1,156 for driving without a seat belt, and 439 for dangerous driving. If these statistics don’t spell utter and complete lawlessness on the roads, I don’t know what does. These numbers indicate clearly why we have seen so many deaths and accidents on our roadways – it is the culture of lawlessness.

I pass the Regent/Camp Street junction at least twice daily, and what is taking place there is a microcosm of the problems we have with enforcement of our current traffic laws. The junction is the busiest one in the country, yet, it is one of the places where the most lawlessness is displayed. The government, through the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, at great expense to the people of this country, has installed a number of no parking/no stopping signs along the first 100 feet Camp Street, north and south of Camp Street, to deter motorists from parking there. This prevents congestion and allows for the free flow of traffic by way of the traffic lights. However, due to our extremely lax approach to the rule of law, cars, especially taxis, can be seen parked smack in the middle of the two signs, clearly in breach of the law. Sadly, the Traffic Department seems reluctant to strictly enforce the law which only emboldens the defaulters and says to the public that no one will be perpetually held accountable. How is it even possible for the busiest intersection in the country not have a consistent police presence? I guarantee you, that once the Traffic Department begins to tow a few vehicles from that intersection (especially west of the City Mall), the slackers will get the message. I have been told that there is only one working tow truck in its possession; if that’s the case, it is utterly unacceptable in this day and age.

To curb the lawlessness on the roads, there must be the will and the determination by the Guyana Police Force, to strictly and consistently enforce all the existing laws on the book; the cry for more traffic laws is not founded on common sense. The problem we have is a lack of enforcement.

Yours faithfully,
Jeumayne Dummett