Strong support for crackdown on reckless riders

Justice Carlisle Greaves’ call for immediate jail sentences for reckless, uninsured, and unlicensed motorbike riders whose actions cause serious injury or death has reignited urgent demands for stricter road safety measures. 

President of the Barbados Road Safety Association (BRSA), Roland Lowe, joined the outcry, urging authorities to tackle the lawlessness that endangers lives on the nation’s roads.

In a rebuke delivered from the Bench last Friday, Justice Greaves expressed serious concerns about “scores” of unlicensed and uninsured motorcycles “trespassing” on the nation’s roads daily.  He was speaking during the sentencing of Renaldo Jerome Goodman, who admitted to causing the death of Owen Stuart, 52, when he crashed his motorcycle into Stuart on a pedestrian crossing on the ABC Highway.

He then ordered Goodman to pay the deceased’s relatives compensation of $15 000. Of that amount, $7 000 was due immediately and another $5 000 in five months, with the balance to be settled in seven months. Failure to pay the fine will result in Goodman spending 12 months at Dodds Prison.

Lowe praised the judgment, noting that reckless riders often cause fear on the road when committing their dangerous stunts.

He said: “In relation to the judgment, I think it’s a step in the right direction. For me personally, when I am on the road I am sometimes placed in fear because anything can happen. If one of those bikes loses control and they fall onto the windscreen or something of somebody’s car, they can cause significant damage and injury to the person travelling in their vehicle. To me . . .  it is a useless thing to do on the road, and it’s a senseless thing to do on the road. There is no need for it.”

He added: “I believe that there needs to be a full crackdown on the whole [issue]. As a former police officer, I know that there is a whole issue relating to manpower, but there needs to be a greater effort if we can to crack down on this type of activity because it is a dangerous thing. I feel as though that we are more reactionary rather than [proactive] when it comes to these kinds of things.”

The road safety campaigner also stressed the importance of personal accountability, urging drivers to take responsibility for their actions on the road.

“There needs to be a level of personal responsibility relative to the behaviour on the road. You are a person who is driving on the road, you have to take responsibility for your actions on the road,” he said.

Lowe revealed that the BRSA is working on an educational initiative targeting young people to promote road safety and responsible driving.

He said: “I don’t want to speak too much on it because it’s in the birthing stages, but the idea is educating young people. That is the aim of the initiative that we are looking at, where we teach people about driving responsibly on the road and their duty not only to themselves but to other road users. If we teach people about the dangers and their responsibility, and the benefits of responsible and careful driving, we hope to see a reduction in the incidents of accidents and fatalities.”

Deanzer Roberts, spokeswoman for Black Knight Bikers—a motorcycling group that organises charity rides—said: “If you don’t have your licence and you are not insured, you should not be on the road. You are risking your life and the lives of others.”

While condemning reckless biking, she sought to distinguish responsible bikers from lawbreakers.

“All bikers are not the same,” she declared. “Some bike for causes, some bike because they want to bike. We love biking, but we bike for a cause. Our bikers are insured, and our president is very strict on that. Reckless stunts like wheeling through traffic endanger everyone, and we don’t condone it.”

President of Trident Motorcycle Club, Jim Woodstock, said the vast majority of riders on the roads are responsible and take safety very seriously. However, in his experience, the younger riders have been known to engage in recklessness.

“There are a few that ruin it for the many,” he said. “ It’s the younger ones that get a little foolish, especially if they had a couple of drinks and then they start to get foolish on the road, not considering anybody else’s safety.” 

shamarblunt@barbadostoday.bb