Driving like mad people

I came to Trinidad from Tobago in September 1991. At that time I discovered that the major cause of the carnage on the roads, that we in Tobago only read about in the newspaper and saw in televised news, was the blatant disregard for our traffic regulations.

Habits like breaking traffic lights and stop signs, overtaking/driving on the shoulders of our highways, and the circumventing of the traffic lights were in common practice. Aiding and abetting these practices is the conspicuous absence of a visible and functioning traffic police presence on our roadways. Over my first six or seven years in Trinidad I was pleased to see a change in those behaviours reduced, when our police service, equipped with new vehicles, became not just a visible presence, but also a functioning one.

Within recent times, say the last year or two, those unwanted and dangerous practices have not crept back in, but have literally stormed their way back into our everyday driving.

I would like to urge all our citizens to not only call on the relevant authorities to do their jobs effectively, but also to become a policing force onto ourselves and our fellow drivers.

If we see someone breaking the traffic laws let us help our police by reporting the errant behaviour.

I know these reports will not lead to prosecution, but I hope they serve to embarrass us into doing what is right a long our roadways.