I write, and not for the first time, in response to repeated claims by senior police officers, who should know better, that, apparently, all road accidents are caused by speed; this, of course, is totally incorrect. Speed by and of itself cannot and does not cause accidents, speed merely gets you from point A to point B a little quicker. The major causes of road accidents are: stupidity, inexperience or ignorance and mechanical malfunction or failure, however, it is acknowledged, that, on occasion, speed may be a contributory factor.
It has been noted that traffic police officers are using their underhand tactics again, of picking that beautiful road by the airport from JFK Drive to the Coral Harbour round-about to set-up their sneaky speed trap to catch an otherwise law-abiding citizen who has crept to 5, 10 or even 15mph above the ludicrous 30mph limit on that road, south of the airport, where it is quite straight with excellent visibility all around and which is, quite possibly, the only pothole clear road in the entire Bahamas.
May I propose that for every “speeding” ticket written that officer must write a further three tickets for serious traffic offences, for example; 1) running a stop light or sign; 2) driving at night on well-lit, trafficked roads with main beam or “bright lights” on and 3) those drivers who insist on driving in the right (or passing) lane of our dual carriageways thereby forcing following traffic to break another law, passing on the Inside or left lane.
To close I must ask when will Road Traffic Dept. book those very dangerous “road trains” carrying many Jet Skis loaded on three and more trailers? Not one of these trailers has any rear lights or even red reflectors. I was always led to believe that any wheeled vehicle using the public roads must have lights back and front. If this requirement has been changed perhaps the constabulary might advise us, the general public. An interesting observation, a goodly number of these “road trains” pass Police Headquarters on Thompson Boulevard twice a day, heading to the beaches and returning home!!
Perhaps I should state, for the record, that I certainly do not encourage nor condone flagrant breaches of any laws, but travelling at up to the maximum, countrywide limit (45mph) in perfect conditions and no other traffic in proximity could be met with a warning? It certainly does not help watching a police car make a left or right turn with absolutely no indication, which, of course, is, itself, a punishable offence, so, you ticketing-happy traffic cops, book your own and make our roads safer. We also have to wonder if those officers can even handle round-abouts correctly, I have my doubts.
Minister Dames, might you have any contributions to make?
Sincerely,
Forced to drive slowly in Nassau
