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Motorists in the south of the island have attributed the cause of the recent vehicular accidents in Vieux-Fort to speeding and reckless driving.
They are now calling on the authority to slam the brakes on speeding and reckless driving by enforcing the laws regarding traffic violations.
According to them, they are worried that with the Christmas season approaching, compounded by the various political events which are taking place in various parts of the south, the situation may get worst.
The most recent vehicular accident in Vieux-Fort resulted in the death of five- year-old, Rikki Samuel, a kindergarten student from Laborie. The child met his demise in a three-vehicle collision on Saturday, October 25, along the Laborie-Vieux Fort highway. Among the vehicles involved in the tragedy was a minibus.
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Several other persons were also injured in the accident and were transported to the hospital for treatment.
The accident caused a traffic back- up, which lasted for several hours, forcing some motorists to take alternative routes to their destinations.
Some motorists say as it relates to accidents involving minibus operators, on many occasions they occur because of their greed.
“It’s madness on the highways in Vieux-Fort. Something must be done to put an end to it,” Alexis Louisy, a minibus driver said.
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Another said during the rush hour, some minibus operators drive at break-neck speed, zooming past other vehicles.
Peter Richard, vice president of the National Council on Public Transportation (NCOPT) said he is very concerned by the increase in vehicular accidents in the south.
“The laws are there, they just need to be enforced,” he said.
According to Richard, one of the ways the government can clamp down on reckless driving is by implementing a demerit system, which the NCOPT has been calling for some time now.
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He added that it seems the government may have to put measures in place to reduce the number of vehicles entering the island.
Moses Justin said the culprits of reckless driving are mainly the younger drivers, who want to prove that they have the fastest vehicle on the island.
“I have seen some of them overtake around corners and don’t even horn,” the minibus driver said.
He said operators of both private and public vehicles are guilty of such reckless driving.
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