THE EDITOR, Sir:
YOUR EDITORIAL of Friday, June 24, on road traffic violations and proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Act, is most welcome. Dangerous driving and disrespect shown to other users of the road is serious. The police have a tough job. But, could they be more effective? They seem to concentrate on speeding offences, especially on highways where the speed limit appears to be set too low for the road and surrounding conditions.
Speeding is often cited as the cause of an accident, when other causes in combination are more specific. Police statistics cite poor judgement and negligence by drivers as the major cause of traffic accidents, i.e., improper overtaking, driving too close to the vehicle ahead, turning or changing lane without due care, failure to stop at stop sign or traffic light, driving while under the influence of drugs, misjudging clearance, excessive speed for the road condition, defective vehicle and poor road surface.
SPEEDING TICKETS
The reflex reaction following an accident seems to be to reduce the speed limit. Many sections of our highways now have 50 km/h (30 mph) limits. Yet, lines of vehicles will drive along these highways quite safely at 70 to 80 km/h. This provides the traffic police with a 'golden' opportunity to use their radar guns and hand out speeding tickets in high volumes, particularly when traffic is light. In the first week of June, the police reported having handed out over 1,300 speeding tickets compared to just two or three hundred tickets for dangerous driving. I question whether all these speeding tickets are justified. It is hoped that the police will be more effective by devising ways to better monitor violations that cause the most accidents.
From my experience most drivers take care and will slow down when necessary. Even 50 km/h is too fast for some winding, narrow sections of highway. Is it proper to impose excessively low speed limits on highways because a few undisciplined drivers are negligent and who will likely disregard any speed limit? 80 km/h (48 mph) used to be the typical limit on highways, and 50 km/h (30 mph) in town. Many sections of highway now have 50 km/h limits, such as the highway along Innswood Estate, between Linstead and Ewarton, sections of Bustamante Highway west of May Pen, through Central Village and the new access road to Highway 2000 from the roundabout west of Spanish Town. If slowing down from 80 km/h is required, surely a limit of 65 km/h (39 mph) should be sufficient. Setting more realistic speed limits could help the police to focus more on the dangerous traffic violations.
Much thought has been given to various methods to encourage safe driving. Research indicates that the best deterrent to dangerous driving is the high probability that violators will be caught. Public relations programmes have little or no influence on changing driving behaviour. Undisciplined drivers know the regulations but choose to ignore them. Even education programmes can be problematical.
TRAFFIC OFFENDERS
An example is cited in California, where traffic offenders were made to attend a two-week course in safe driving. The result was that these drivers caused more accidents after they attended the safe driving course. Follow up research gleaned that the students learned to drive better and were therefore inclined to take more risk.
Drivers have to contend with many problems. Some road surfaces are in poor condition with many potholes, signs showing the speed limit and 'no parking' are too few, lane markings have faded, and the traffic congestion is constant. It is my wish that Minister Pickersgill will request a review of the highway speed limits by the Traffic Engineering Department and also encourage the traffic police to focus on identifying the serious violations. By getting the 'little things' right, the 'big things' should get more of the attention they deserve.
I am, etc.,
DONALD DUFF
Sunset Avenue
Kingston 8
