THE headline in yesterday’s dailies (Monday October 3) of the death of two boys tells a sad story of criminal negligence and – to a large extent- dereliction of duty.  Almost every weekend I cringe in apprehension when I see pickups with children in their trays heading to a creek on the highway or to picnic in the Botanical Gardens or National Park.
I am forced to conclude that this practice of having passengers in the open tray of a vehicle is one which is encouraged or ignored by persons who ought to know better in view of the obvious fact that the beds of pickups are not designed to provide protection to people riding in these areas in the event of a crash.  I am quite amazed at the apparent lack of concern by the relevant groupings and do believe that it is high time that some serious efforts are made to arrest this unsafe practice.

Some initiatives in other places with respect to riding in the back of pick-up trucks seem pretty straightforward and might bear replication with appropriate modifications for our domestic situation. 

It should be borne in mind that many of these interventions are intended to protect children who are the most vulnerable, since their placement in the vehicle is left to the judgment of their elders.

In some places passengers above the age of 16 are not prohibited from riding in the back of a pickup truck.  However, this does not remove the potential of persons outside the passenger compartment from being ejected even at relatively low speeds, or the risk of being crushed if the vehicle rolls over.

Exemptions from the practice in some U.S. jurisdictions include for farming activities, work-related duties, participating in parades, riding in enclosed cargo areas, or when restraint systems are installed in the bed of the pickup.  As a matter of fact, in a few jurisdictions drivers can be fined for not having minors properly restrained in any vehicle.

Editor, I beg your indulgence to make a brief suggestion on another issue which should be of serious concern to all Guyanese; the issue of safe driving on our roadways. 

Borrowing from the Australian experience; before a learner driver is considered for a driver’s licence s/he should be required to have been provisionally licensed to operate a motor vehicle for at least 12 months (or for a stipulated number of hours) under different conditions before s/he can be permitted to take the practical driving test. 

This can help identify those learners who are ready to drive safely on their own and may be confirmed by a Log Book or Declaration of Completion signed by a designated, competent authority.