A spike in road fatalities has prompted urgent calls from driving instructors for tougher enforcement of traffic laws, amid warnings that a growing culture of impunity is making Saint Lucia’s roads increasingly dangerous.
With four lives already lost to traffic accidents so far this year, the National Association of Driving Schools has appealed for immediate action from both the police and the courts, arguing that reckless driving will continue unchecked unless serious legal consequences are enforced.
Vice President of the National Association of Driving Schools, Kingson Jean, said the problem must be tackled at its roots through sustained education and cultural change, beginning from early childhood.
“In the long term, what we should do is have a proper education process where we could inculcate into our young people from preschool the importance of road safety, how to cross the road as a pedestrian, how to ride a bicycle,” Jean said.
He added that children should be equipped and taught correctly from a young age.
“Give a child a bicycle, give them a helmet, give them the elbow pad and the knee pad, give them the proper shoes for them to ride. So, you train them from a tender age.”
However, Jean stressed that education alone is not enough and that responsibility for road safety must be shared across society.
“It is everybody’s business to ensure that persons use the road safely,” he said.
He urged members of the public to take a more active role in discouraging dangerous behavior on the roads.
“So, you see somebody driving without a seatbelt, make sure they put it on. You see that person driving with you, they’re driving way too fast over the speed limit, tell them to slow down, chastise them,” Jean stated.
The association maintains that without firm policing and swift judicial action against offenders, warnings and awareness campaigns will have limited effect.