Today, Arrive Alive Trinidad and Tobago will join the rest of UN member countries in observance of the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. As the bloodshed continues on our roadways with a current road death count of 179 people, we wish to use this opportunity to remind each and every one of you of how crucial your role is in helping to address the burgeoning socio-economic issue of road safety in our beloved country. Between 2005 and 2010, over 1,000 people have lost their lives on our nation's roadways and over 15, 000 were injured due to road traffic collisions. Presently, there is a road traffic collision every 16.8 minutes in T&T. This means that for almost every hour driving on our roads there is almost a 25 per cent chance of death due to a road traffic collision.
The risk is real, the consequences are severe and the costs of ignoring it will only increase over time. This issue must transcend all politics as it is your duty to protect all citizens from harm. We implore each one of you as leaders of our nation and members of the highest court of our land to place road safety as one of the legislative and policy priorities for T&T. Crimes are committed not only by people with guns but with motor vehicles-by drunk drivers, reckless drivers, red light runners, distracted drivers, speeding motorcyclists and by people who fail to buckle up themselves, their passengers and children in vehicles and by infrastructural deficiencies.
As a member of the United Nations we are duty bound to implement the UN's Decade of Action for Road Safety aimed at reducing global road fatalities by 50 per cent over the next nine years. Road safety and traffic management systems are critical to supporting the socio-economic pillars of countries which rely on a road transport network for the movement of people, goods and services. Even criminals must use the roads. Manage traffic and you will manage your country. Please, no more broken families and stressful lifestyle changes due to preventable tragedies-let us work together in making the roadways of T&T a safer place for all. Attached is our list of recommendations, we ask you to action immediately.
We call it the Arrive Alive Drive 5:
To whom a lot is given a lot is expected, and therefore we beg of you to action this now. We stand ready to assist but will not stay silent.
1. Legislation and policies
• Formulation of a National Road Safety Council as a lead body for inter-agency and multi-sector policy and strategic development for interventions in collision reduction and mitigation.
• Speed Management-Speed Laser Guns for traffic law enforcement (critical)
• Camera evidence for traffic offences using CCTV
• Ticketing and arrest powers to Traffic Wardens (not weapons)
• Revisit the MVRTA Traffic Penalty Legislation and Vehicle Inspection Framework
• Probation and community sentencing for traffic offenders including lecturing at schools, anger management courses and mandatory defensive driving courses
• Integration of the new NTA driving instructor CVQ into driving instructor qualifications
• Requirement that 10 per cent of the Road Tax revenue be allocated to road safety Initiatives
• Requirement that 10 per cent of road infrastructure costing be allocated to road safety engineering such as reflectors, barriers, signage etc
• Graduated driving licensing system for new drivers
• Seatbelt requirements for backseat passengers
• Zero alcohol permissible limit for all commercial drivers (truck and taxi)
• Weigh bridge ticketing stations for all quarries
• Initiate mandatory computerised statistical information sharing with the TTPS, Licensing and Ministry of Works by the insurance industry of all collision locations and fatalities including type of vehicle, age of driver, driver history, details of accident etc.
2. Enforcement
• National Road Safety Traffic Enforcement Strategy (this has already developed by the TTPS but not implemented)
• Outfitting of the highway surveillance bays with necessary equipment
• Computerisation and integration of the licensing system (Motor Vehicle Authority)
• Creation of a dedicated Road Traffic Enforcement Unit (Inter Agency-TTPS, Licensing, Wardens, AA/TTAA).
• Unit will also specialise in collision analysis, investigation and scene reconstruction
3. Education
• Development of a road safety curriculum within the school education system which is age appropriate at various levels including transport research using UWI & UTT
• Integrate defensive driving as a pre-driver educational qualification to licensing which includes hazard perception testing
• Create a Road Safety Education Unit within the new Motor Vehicle Authority and Warden Unit
• Integrate demerit penalty point system with driver education programmes
• Incorporate alcohol education via NADAPP and AA for DUI offenders
4.Engineering
• Immediate GPS plotting of all collision and fatality sites by the MOWI and MOT-data is key to fixing and solving engineering issues on the roadways
• Commence a road safety audit of all roads for GIS blackspot mapping and engineering deficiencies
• Immediately complete the highway barrier protection system along the UBH, SHH & CRH
5. Court and Process-Judiciary
• Traffic Layman's Court (5 pm-9 pm)
• This will help ease the magistrate's court from the backlog of petty traffic offences. It can comprise three individuals: retired judge or magistrate, retired police officer of at least the rank of sergeant and an executive member of a road safety NGO such as Arrive Alive or the T&T Automobile Association.
• Serious traffic offences involving DUI, fatalities or multiple injuries will not be heard in this setting.
• Data-share with police and licensing database for offence registry and notice of licence suspension or revocation
Social Support
A Victim Support Unit must be developed to aid those in society whose lifestyle and livelihood has been negatively impacted by circumstances and/or as a result of a road traffic crash.
The support unit must include trauma counselling and family income assessments especially in cases where the sole breadwinner in the family was killed or severely disabled in traffic collision.