Dear Editor,

The recent road fatalities have left us traumatised as a nation.

In relation thereto, Dr Lucien Jones, vice-chairman of the National Road Safety Council, was quoted in the Jamaica Observer April 10 article entitled ‘Careless young men the cause of many road crashes, says Jones’ as having said, “They [young men] are making poor decisions for many reasons. One is that many of them are driving under the influence of alcohol and ganja and texting and driving.”

At the same time one notes that, “The National Road Safety Council (NRSC) received funding of US$400,000.00 to procure speed-monitoring devices and breath-testing equipment for the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) to assist in reducing road fatalities.” It seems that the breath-testing equipment to be acquired is in relation to testing for alcohol. This is a welcome move.

However what are we doing about discouraging driving under the influence of drugs, including ganja? In some countries the police are able to administer roadside screening tests for drugs, including ganja.

For a country which has experienced such gruesome traffic crashes one would think that if we really wanted to find ways to reduce road fatalities that we would ensure that the proper legislation and equipment are in place to test for driving under the influence of these items! At the very least there should be an ongoing heavy public relations campaign to discourage driving under the influence of both alcohol and drugs.

The police should be provided with all the necessary equipment and support in order to help us keep our roads safe for one and all.

S Richards

sprichards82@yahoo.com