I write this article with a pain in my heart. When I say pain not a physical pain but one that is so filled with grief and emotion that words cannot express as I look at the horrific loss of human life on our roads. Within past days there have been several tragedies involving innocent children mowed down by drivers who act as if our roadways are places for daredevil acts without a care in the world for human life or suffering. The latest incident tells of two primary school children who were walking on the D’Edward public road when they were hit by a speeding, and from all indications,a drunk motorist. The little girl was killed almost instantly; her mangled remains had to be pulled from beneath the wreckage while her brother who was seriously injured is clinging to life in a city hospital.
According to eyewitnesses, this driver was doing it, driving at high speed in an area where pedestrians, especially school-aged children are known to traverse, but he was the least concerned about that as he went about his crazy antics on the road. It was stated that he rammed into the kids dragging them for several feet before coming to a halt by a utility pole. According to the report, the driver later showed some remorse by getting into a minibus to accompany the injured to the hospital but later got off that vehicle somewhere en route for reasons I am absolutely sure he would state in a court of law, that he feared for his life judging from the actions of the irate relatives of the victims.
Far from it, this driver was in fear of his life, rather he was beefing up an alibi for the courts being well aware of his physical condition. He knew that going to a health institution a breathalyser test would have revealed that he was indeed under the influence, which meant that a more serious charge would have been instituted. Hence, second thoughts by the accused to run away then give up yourself way after the alcohol is out of your system to make a report of a deadly accident. These are the kinds of fake reports that these murderous drivers make that our silly judges and magistrates believe. It would be interesting to know what are the charges brought against this driver. For me, that driver should be charged with reckless driving, failing to render assistance to the injured, fleeing the scene of an accident and driving under the influence. Yes, he should be so charged because if he wanted to clear himself of the charge he should have done what he did more than 24 hours after the crime was committed, that is, reporting at a police station. This is the responsibility of a driver at the scene of an accident: to avail himself of a breathalyser test; courts cannot guess on this note. According to reports, this same driver was involved in an accident two years ago in which a young lad has been rendered a cripple. My question is why is this driver still driving? How many more young children have to be murdered on the road by this lunatic?

And herein lies my story on why the lawlessness on our nation’s roads persists because drivers know that they can get away with it. Many drivers use our roads as if they were a race track and this often results in death or serious injury. Those who administer our roads, when I say this I mean the policemen, are negligent in their duties. Do not wait for an accident to happen. If you see a speeding driver charge the culprit and have his vehicle impounded. Our courts also need to impose stiffer penalties for those who run foul of the law such as imprisonment and a revocation of their driving privileges. Still on this subject, surviving relatives of accident victims need to sue for pain and suffering (similar to the American system) so that they can be substantially awarded for their injuries. I think if these measures are instituted drivers would be more careful on our roads and bring an end to the present carnage.