The Editor,
The Anguillian

Dear Sir:

TRAFFIC IS EVERYONE’S BUSINESS

The number of licensed vehicles in Anguilla is now approaching the ten thousand mark, and improvement in the movement of traffic may be a matter of life and death. Roads must be safe for everyone!

Anguilla is no longer a pastoral, rural, laid back community but is congested with traffic moving along at a very fast pace. Almost everyone over the driving age who has a job now has a car. Cars are a necessity as there is no regulated bus service on the island.

A major concern is commercial vehicles i.e. backhoes; bull-dozers; long trucks, loaded with concrete blocks; water trucks; flat bed trucks, hauling other heavy equipment, and awkward, heavily loaded concrete trucks, driving along at the same speed as regular traffic or sometimes a lot faster. The mechanisms of these vehicles are not clear to the non-mechanical mind, but it appears that some of these large commercial vehicles have no front brakes and as they swing and sway along the road, they are both dangerous and intimidating to others using the roads.

It seems rather irresponsible to permit a business with absolutely no parking space to operate on a main road. The department responsible for issuing such licenses should ensure that the safe operation of traffic is not threatened, and public safety is not endangered.

Haphazard operations are no longer acceptable. Traffic laws need to be enforced. A course or seminar in defensive driving for all drivers could be helpful. Simple topics such as (1) using the correct lane to go through a round about (2) stopping at stop signs (3) not passing around a blind corner or over a hill (4) not moving over to the opposite (on-coming) lane if your side is temporarily blocked (5) using indicators to signal your intention to turn or stop (6) using your park lights for parking only (not for driving at dusk).

The use of seat belts and car seats for babies and toddlers must be mandatory. We have all seen persons driving with a small child stuck between them and the steering wheel. This is not only very dangerous but also very irresponsible on the part of the driver and should be discontinued.

The use of cell phones while driving causes drivers to direct at least half of their concentration away from road and causes problems to others similar to those caused by drunk drivers. Drive to arrive alive!

Pedestrians look out for yourselves. See and be seen. Wear light-coloured clothes at night, and always, always, walk facing traffic.

Soroptimist International of Anguilla

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