Dear Editor,

Does the fault lie in the tool or in the user?

If the road is a tool which is used to accomplish the job of transporting passengers to their safe destination, it may be interesting to know if the majority of fatalities on the roads are as a result of poor road conditions or poor driving skills.

Bad roads have come under a lot of pounding from the public and, understandably, no one welcomes the surprising jabs and jolts of potholes kicking constantly at their front end wile compromising their tyres. This obviously will come under flag, but in an unusual way damaged roads could serve some useful purposes, especially if they exist in certain crime-riddled or residential areas where drivers are prone to speeding.

Those potholes may constrain such speedsters who are bent on racing, the way a speed bump slows you down to protect civilians. However, good and better roads must be the ultimate goal since road utility is safest when roads are in optimum condition.

But pristine road surfaces do not necessarily translate to reduced road fatalities, for ebullient drivers are more likely to get reckless the prettier they see the road opening up before them.

So is it bad roads or bad drivers who are the problem? In all likelihood, the culprit seems to be bad drivers.

Homer Sylvester

h2sylvester@gmail.com