Hardly a day passes without one reading the horrible story of someone killed or maimed for life on one of Guyana’s roads. The story is more distressing when you realise that no punishment is really dealt to the reckless drivers who have committed these crimes. The reason for this lawlessness is that some lawmen and those persons that interpret the law (like some of our policemen) are always dicey when it comes to traffic offenders, they behave as if those killed had a right to die, nothing to really bother about. I recount a story which took place in Berbice wherein an overseas based Guyanese driver of a motor vehicle heavily under the influence of alcohol and or drugs killed a pedestrian. When this matter came up before a certain magistrate (now deceased) knowing full well that the person charged posed a flight risk, the magistrate promptly granted the gentleman bail. The freed man then scurried overseas and that was the end of the matter.
Here’s another incident which took place last August. I was travelling to Timehri in mini bus BLL 8619 the driver was driving at a terrific speed that you literally felt the vehicle lifting off the ground. The passengers were so petrified that no one said a word but just sat there holding tightly to their seats. I shouted to the driver to cut down on the speed and drive respon-sibly but he paid no heed to my calls, only stopping once to fill up his gas tank when he took the opportunity to give me a stare as if to say, who the (expletive) are you I can drive how I please. That driver continued the journey at the same rate of speed. Heaven help that old lady or man or child who would have ventured across the road at that time of such maddening speed, death would have come swift on his/her heels. I registered my complaint to a police officer whose response to me was that they cannot charge the driver because he did not kill anyone.
There are countless other stories of this kind that occur on our roads every day, people are being severely injured or even die horrible deaths at the hands of careless drivers and justice is not served. When will it end? I think that it is high time someone in authority wake up, face this monster square on and bring some law and order to the nation’s roads.
Yours faithfully,
Neil Adams
