Jam still but be safe

As rocky as the road has been “we jamming still” and it was all worth it particularly for giving the nation the respite that it always looks forward to at this time. But the fun time we are about to have must add up to a grand time, and not one overshadowed by pain and grief because of that one lapse which is almost always a common sense issue as indeed most safety advice is actually plain common sense, even as persons must trust their instincts. Listen to that little voice in your head that is warning you against getting into a particular car, or accepting a drink from a stranger.

Revellers should stay in their group, morseo overseas visitors who likely cannot read the subtle signs of TT’s ever-changing social nuances.

In turn every Trinbagonian has a duty to be an ambassador for TT so that visitors will take home only positive memories of their stay.

Please don’t let your exuberance become a source of angst for someone else. For example, noise levels should be moderated in neighbourhoods where the infant, elderly and infirm reside, plus persons who simply may not wish for pounding waves of bass music to be penetrating into their private abode.

Please, turn down the bass. We trust that the police at stations across the country will promptly respond to any such complaints.

Jubilation taken to excess can lead to great sorrow, the perfect example of this being drunk driving. So much awareness has been preached on this plague that there is now absolutely no excuse for potential death-dealers to pose a deadly hazard to the general public and they must be dealt the full brunt of the law, Carnival season or no Carnival season.

Given the heightened sense of sexuality at Carnival, we reiterate our advice for care amid the revelry. Some persons will exercise self-restraint, but others will let loose. Whatever you do, please act with utmost responsibility.

To head off the possibility of HIV transmission and unwanted pregnancy, please recall the guidelines in respective order, “ABC”, Abstain, Be Faithful, Condomise.

Even if one ignores the first two options and instead chooses casual sex, please let the proper use of a condom be your standard operating procedure.

Our reminder is aimed at both men and women. A moment of pleasure should not result in a lifetime of regret. (We also remind that TT’s age of consent is 18, unless the partners are within three years of each other.) Another device that can help keep revellers safe is the cellphone.

If someone is making you feel unsafe or uncomfortable, you can discretely take a photo and send to a friend or relative’s phone by pre-arrangement, such as photographing the licence plate of a taxi/PH car you are about to enter.

The environment poses risks, chiefly excessive heat from the sun and excessive noise from music trucks, threatening dehydration and hearing-loss respectively.

Take care with whatever is ingested, such as alcohol (and the threat of “spiking” with date-rape drugs) and food (avoiding unsanitary including preparation). Regarding child safety, while some authorities urge the use of name-tags, others warn that these devices allow predators to pretend to know the child, so this will be a personal decision.

Jam still but be safe.