“It is hardly recognized by owners and drivers that a motor vehicle of any sort is an extremely dangerous weapon when improperly used. When a person sits behind a steering wheel that person is not merely about to embark on a journey, but is about to do so in control of a deadly weapon.”
IT is hardly recognized by owners and drivers that a motor vehicle of any sort is an extremely dangerous weapon when improperly used.

When a person sits behind a steering wheel that person is not merely about to embark on a journey, but is about to do so in control of a deadly weapon.

This is the reason why there are laws regulating the use of motor vehicles and the conduct of drivers.

However, such a recognition does not always exist. Consequently, the necessity of adhering strictly to the rules of the road from the moment that a driver enters the vehicle is not always the prime objective it should be.

It is not usual that a formal ceremony would accompany the signing of legislation. Such a ceremony was held on the signing recently of the new breathalyzer law by President Jagdeo.

The objective obviously was to emphasise the importance of the legislation in the drive to reduce road deaths. The President in his remarks made reference to the appalling and stubbornly high statistics and expressed the hope that the legislation would help in the effort to reduce accidents.

The legislation provides for the use of the breathalyser which, if administered by the police on a driver, would determine whether the driver is inebriated.

This is determined not by the driver’s actual capacity to control the vehicle but by the quantity of alcohol in his/her bloodstream.

Prior to this law the police had all but stopped prosecutions for driving under the influence because of the difficulties of securing convictions for this offence.

In order to prove a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol, the police were required to demonstrate that the driver lacked capacity to control the vehicle.

This was done in years past by taking the driver to a hospital and obtain a blood test. At the trial it was necessary for a medical doctor to give evidence to prove that the driver would have been unable to drive safely with the quantity of alcohol in his bloodstream as shown in the test.

In the absence of a blood test, the police had to prove that the driver had consumed alcohol by the smell of the driver.

Proof that the driver was unable to drive was usually given by his/her gait. Lack of resources to get blood tests from suspect drivers and such subjective criteria as smell and gait had become virtually impossible for the police to prove.

As a result, there were hardly any prosecutions for driving under the influence of alcohol in recent years. Hopefully that situation will now change and some of the policemen checking documents will be deployed at night in the vicinity of nightspots with their breathalyser instruments.

Returning to the theme of a vehicle being a dangerous weapon, and the necessity of inculcating this in the mind of a driver, there needs to be some innovations. Some years ago a system of lectures by the police for learner drivers was made compulsory.

This may certainly have been helpful in producing a better quality of driver.

It needs to be built upon. A potential driver needs to be educated to the fact that, he/she must not merely be responsible for following the rules of the road and the laws, but as the controller of a deadly weapon on the road, he/she has the main responsibility to protect the safety and security of other road users.

This requires the upgrading of the training given by the Police or by certified civilian training schools about driving skills, etiquette and the avoidance of accidents so that we might be able to eventually have a more responsible driver on the road.

This obviously would be a major undertaking and would be costly to the learner/driver. But if we want to save lives on the road we need to begin making these plans now.

For taxis and mini buses a completely new dispensation should be imposed. During the 1970s, I recall many cases brought by the police against taxi drivers for being improperly dressed (and the sleeveless male attire was not in fashion then) or having an unclean and unkempt appearance or for smoking.

Apart from restoring the imposition of these standards, taxis and mini bus drivers must be required to undergo additional rigorous theoretical and practical training before being licenced, such as driving with heavier passenger loads, dangers of overturning, how to avoid it, courtesy to passengers, and others, even if they have been driving for several years.

Finally, for all drivers, grades of licensing should be considered. When a person receives his/her licence, it should be conditional for a period of time, say two years, during which time the driver must demonstrate capacity. Criteria and methods for establishing that capacity can be determined but a clean driving record should surely be one.

I am conscious that these reforms might not all be possible at this time. But the rate of killing and injury on our roads demands that we address this matter urgently and continue the traffic reform process.