Melville Cooke
Three o'clock road block
And I have got to throw away
My little herb stock
-Bob Marley, Rebel Music
THE FACTS are the outline of a story; the real meat of the matter is in the details. So while the crash along the Bog Walk Road that turned five people into meat in a heartbeat made the news, what made it really real to me was the quote included in Karyl Walker's story about the tragedy in The Observer. An onlooker said "callaloo dead, bammy dead, everybody dead".
I travelled that route four times (twice each way) between the crash and Boxing Day and did not see a single traffic policeman at any point. There were some cars, notably taxis, that were really moving, apparently confident that there were no police speed traps to spoil the Christmas rush. It was business as usual.
MORE IN KINGSTON
In Kingston, though, it was a different matter. There were more traffic cops around than firecrackers at Sting. I got stopped twice in 12 hours, once in Liguanea and the other in Half-Way Tree. On the first occasion the bad cop of the two repeatedly said, "a tree ticket me a gi yu, tree ticket"; on the second the policeman let through a driver who committed the same offence (unwittingly, of course) and then stopped me. When I asked why he had waved the person before me on and then pulled me over, he said, "mi cyaan deal wid two people one time". I pointed out that I was second and he said, "a jus your bad luck". (Why is it that almost invariably when a police officer sees long hair and a beard he or she thinks it is easy pickings? And I mean pickings).
I submit that the poor distribution of traffic police over the Christmas period indicates that there is not much concern about speeding on known trouble spots. Granted, I could have missed (fortunately or unfortunately) the traffic police on the Bog Walk Road, as well as heading to Ewarton, a known race track. But within seven days of an accident like the one that claimed so many lives, they should have been out there from cock crow until sun set, at the very least.
SUFFICIENT EXPERIENCE
I have had sufficient experience with the police on the road to know that a significant number go out there to, shall we say, supplement their salaries. The traditional question, "whe yu can do fi yusself" has been replaced or, more correctly, prefaced by "so whe yu work?" That is a question which, if answered correctly, gives an indication of social standing (hence influence with smaddy who know smaddy), income (hence ability to grease the wheels of justice) and, in many cases, self-confidence (hence
the likelihood of putting up resistance).
SELF-DEFENCE DRIVING METHODS
It is absolutely no business of the police officer where you work; it is not a question that they are authorised to ask. In the absence of traffic cops on crucial, high speed roads, I have taken to using a couple simple yet very effective self-defence (as opposed to defensive) driving methods. For it is a war out there and every time I set out on a journey my primary objective is to not have my daughters know me only through
photographs.
The first thing is not to join in the excitement driving. This is where people race and jockey for position in some very simple situations. Let them go; do not join the crowd. If somebody bad-drives you, let them go. If you are being tail-gated (and the taxi drivers just love to do this), simply tap your brake. (This assumes, of course, that you are insured and all your papers are up to date and you can defend it.) It is simply a no-lose situation. If you get hit, you can't be judged to be wrong. If you don't (and after repeated use of the strategy I have never been) they will sure as heck back off. If they come again, gradually slow down and down and down, but do not pull over.
Never let somebody make you drive faster than you intended or hurry you into rash decisions, so that you become the latest addition to their after road kill bar talk. The traffic police are not much help at all; eat a food seems to be the order of the day. Try to not let a road hog eat yours.
Melville Cooke is a freelance writer.
