The government of Antigua and Barbuda says it is concerned with the alarming amount of traffic accidents that have been taken place within the twin island.
Minister of National Security, Attorney General the Hon. Steadroy Cutie Benjamin raised the topic during a meeting held on Tuesday with members of the Traffic Department and Transport Board.
Benjamin mentioned that we must be responsible and put measures in place that will deter lawless driving, telephone use while driving and noise pollution. He added that the laws are in place and the time has come for them to be properly policed.
“Some drivers have no respect for the Police, Traffic wardens or traffic laws and the time has come for the necessary plan of action to be put in place that will bring about the necessary change and help curb dangerous driving” Benjamin added.
Plans are still in place to have more Traffic Officers assigned to various strategic locations around the island. Also, the government will acquire breath analyzers and radar guns within a short period of time.
There has been one thousand and nineteen accident for the year.
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So is the number of vehicle’s on the roads.
Raw stats never tells the whole story.
Factors to consider before any conclusion is made.
1 How many vehicles are in the road network?
2 The road network was designed to accommodate how many vehicles?
3 What is the state of the roads width, potholes etc?
4. What time of the day does the majority of accidents take place?
5. Does accidents create economic activity recker service, insurance, body men, paint shops, parts shops, car rentals, lawyers, doctors, med labs, etc.
I have two possible solution to curve the speeding problem.
1 All vehicles be calibrated to suit the speed limit before licensing.
(i) Anyone who tampers with the calibration forfeit their driver’s license permanently.
(ii) Anyone who forfeited their driver’s license and found driving again fines to exceed $20k or 10 years plus in prison.
This must be understood to mean once you are speeding the possibility exist that a life can be taken.
Suggestion 2
Any driver may purchase a purpose built software with a camera which is mounted on the dash board.
The information is stored on the hard drive of the camera and also sent directly to a processing mainframe at a police station.
This vehicle is calibrated to the speed limit. The camera records any vehicle that passes the calibrated vehicle.
When the person pays the fine the driver who made the report is rewarded with 50% of the fine.
The complete kit is at the expense of the driver and not the government.
This system could also be used to capture persons using cell phones while driving.
As many driver as possible can be on the program. Once the payment is timely it can easily be passive income.
This is not rocket science either cameras are available and software can be written. The will to curve the problem is the problem.
I am outside the box looking in.
Transport board is a racketeering entity. Vehicles pass inspection and have broken windshields, why? The answer is they were never actually inspected.
The solutions you offer sound noble but memba, ah Antigua dis.
1,019 accidents in Antigua for the year so far.Really?? That is a lot.Is this a collusion among drivers?
Really cleaver young man, saw what you did there.
This is a classical article where we try to fix a problem without understanding the cause. Because of an increase in traffic accidents we are going to get breath analyzers and more traffic wardens and I guess that should solve it. While I agree these measures could assist, I am wondering if there has been studies using the statistical data regarding traffic accidents.
For example, without having all the data on hand, i have known several serious accidents occurring on Factory road in the vicinity where transport board was and on Allsaints Road near Lics. Is it a case these corners were poorly built, based on the centrifugal force? I observe near licks, a new development is taking place and an exit/entrance is allowed right near the corner, will this create more accidents?
What I am basically getting at, when accidents occur, I am not.convinced that proper data is recorded for statistical analysis: type/model/year of vehicle, age/gender/experience of driver, location of accidents, brand of tires on vehicle, etc. Was there a recall on type of vehicle that dealers did not.honour? I know the.police take a report but my question is how are these data compiled and who is responsible for compiling?
Any yes, as more vehicles get on the road, the probability of accidents increases. I do NOT agree that we have too many vehicles but our road program has to improve to match the growth. Some of the potholes cause drivers to sway and hit other vehicles. Also, we can move past alot of these water gutters and have under flows, it helps the traffic.
On the lighter side, someone should just inform those drivers that Dri-Thru banking is not available at the location.
Increase age, suspend liscence, people don’t like to wait and are not adhering the laws of the road, not stopping at junctions, breaking to close to peoples bumper, not driving the required speed limit in built up areas, not awaiting the go ahead. Especially when fetting there should be a checkpoint after each fete to administer the breath analyzers. I dont think its the amount of cars, driving is patience and considering the other person thats the mindset a driver should possess at all times, their passengers, other road users, including pedestrians, animals, and themselves. When we do the practical exam is the only time we drive at our most descent? Thats how we ought to continue driving and we need more
constant policing to see these laws are being implemented especially on the country roads, its a race track especially with dem little vitz
You are correct that driving is patience but there are somethings that will cause certain drivers to lose their patience. For example, heavy machinery driving on the road at 8 kmph during rush hour. You are trying to get to work and there is a long line 20-30 plus cars stuck behind a bulldozer. How can you be patient? There should be laws about when these type of vehicles can be moved because when you have to drive from freetown or somewhere else in the countryside to st.johns to get to work and there is heavy machinery driving that slow, u will never get to work on time.
Another thing that cause ppl to lose patience is slow drivers/student drivers on the road in rush hour. Just this morning, a private vehicle with a “L”is on Factory road, stopping and going because the student isnt comfortable enough to be on the road yet but to make it worst you bring them into rush hour trafffic at 7:30 when ppl trying to go work?
In the usa, there is a speed floor. Its the opposite of a speed limit, where if you are driving slower than the speed floor you get a ticket, cause driving too slow is also a hazard and by driving that slow u create a hazard when ppl have to overtake you. Now I dont expect antigua to adopt a speed floor, but if u understand the idea of a speed floor u can see why some of these slow drivers also are the reason for some accidents.
slow drivers like Gertrude and Betty-Mae? or like Theophilus and Adolphus?
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