On Monday, May 11, 2015, my family remembered our daughter. It's not that we did not remember her the day before that or even the day before and all the days leading up to that day. We remembered her because we observed the first anniversary of her passing.
My daughter died on the night of Mother's Day of 2014, when the car in which she was a passenger, was hit head-on by another car when the driver, in a drunken or stupefied state of mind recklessly tried to overtake a line of vehicles. She was the only fatality.
I cannot help but observe, as I traverse the roadways on a daily basis, the reckless manner in which a great percentage of drivers conduct themselves. People are talking on their phones and even texting while driving. Some have their music so loud that it is impossible for them to hear anything, including the sirens of emergency vehicles.
I applaud the authorities for the zero tolerant approach taken with respect to drunk driving or driving under the influence. However, that has to be extended to incorporate other misdemeanors.
All that being said, we can have all the laws in the world, but if our detection rate is low, we would not be able to address the problem at hand and rid our roads of those culpable of critically injuring and killing innocent people on an almost daily basis.
It's one year now and to date the investigation into the death of my daughter is yet to be completed. While, the facts surrounding the incident have been established by the police, the file is being sent from office to office, police station to police station and no one can say when it would end.
This, by any standard, is totally unacceptable. The police service has to operate in a manner such that public confidence can be restored in them in all regards, inclusive of putting priority to investigations so that those who have no concern for the law can be brought before the courts and affected families can have closure in a timely manner.
Sean Annan