The Tribune

By Sancheska Dorsett

LESS than 24 hours after the Road Traffic Department issued a safety plea to motorists, police found themselves on the scene of another traffic fatality in the capital.

December has been a particularly deadly month for motorists. Six people were killed in traffic accidents during the first weekend of December alone. From December 8-11 two more youths died in traffic accidents.

The latest incident took place shortly before 1am off West Bay Street.

Police say they received reports of a fatal accident on New Providence Highway, between West Bay Street and JFK Drive.

When officers arrived on the scene, they found an unresponsive adult male inside a gray Honda Accord with three passengers. Emergency services personnel were called to the scene and the driver was pronounced dead. The three passengers were taken to hospital to be treated for their injuries.

Police say preliminary reports indicate the victim was driving on New Providence Highway when he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a concrete wall.

Officers from the Royal Bahamas Police Force Traffic Division are investigating.

On Thursday, Minister of Transport and Local Government Frankie Campbell urged motorists and pedestrians to practice road safety during the holiday period, reminding the public to adhere to the speed limit and wear seat belts.

Mr Campbell said: “As the minister, I am not satisfied with the fatality count of this year. And I’m not even sure what it is. I’m not concerned about numbers. I’m satisfied that any one person that dies, a number of persons hurt.

“And then there is the side of the accidents that we don’t see — the persons who don’t die, but have lifelong disabilities which result in a poor quality of life for them and the persons who have to care for them.

“And so we want to spread the message, more particularly at this time, but not just for this time of the year, throughout the year. We want everyone to know that they have a role to play.”

He added: “Pedestrians in particular, we’d be surprised to know how many accidents are actually caused by pedestrians who would just dart across the street without looking, and then drivers have to attempt to take evasive action and maybe hit someone or something that had nothing to do with the incident.

“If everyone plays their role, if everyone stays in their lane, if everyone observes the speed limits, observe the traffic signals, I believe we’ll have not just a safe Christmas, but we’d have a safe year, that is as accident-free as possible. So that is my hope as we end this year and go into the New Year.”

His remarks echo those of Senior Assistant of Commissioner Police Stephen Dean, who noted earlier in December that speed is a “common trend” in traffic fatalities.

In July, Mr Campbell said that it is “vital” that the government “continue to focus on road safety.” He also encouraged people to avoid texting while driving, which he said is “far too prevalent” in Bahamian society and the possibility exists for the introduction of legislation against texting while driving sometime in the future.