By EARYEL BOWLEG
Tribune Staff Reporter
ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
STATE Legal Affairs Minister Jomo Campbell revealed efforts are underway to improve and enhance the vehicle inspection and testing processes at the Road Traffic Department.
He made the announcement while disclosing startling statistics regarding traffic accidents and unveiling an upcoming road safety campaign. He said globally, over 3,500 people die every day on roads, which amounts to nearly 1.3 million preventable deaths and an estimated 50 million injuries each year – making it the leading killer of children and young people worldwide. In The Bahamas, more than 6,000 road accidents and 59 traffic deaths were recorded last year.
“As things stand, road traffic accidents are set to cause a further estimated 13 million deaths and 500 million injuries during the next decade without urgent action,” Mr Campbell told the House of Assembly.
“According to the Royal Bahamas Police Force, over 6,000 traffic accidents were reported in 2022. Approximately, 59 traffic fatalities were recorded last year – most of the victims were young Bahamian males.”
Mr Campbell added that many of the traffic fatalities were recorded on the islands of New Providence, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama, and Abaco.
He said the country cannot afford to continue to record the number of road traffic fatalities that are being experienced today.
“We are losing far too many of our young people,” the state minister said yesterday. “To address the number of traffic fatalities in our nation and to promote road safety, the Ministry of Transport and Housing is re-launching a comprehensive national road safety programme, under the theme, ‘Slow Down, Stay Alive.’”
The road safety programme will be led by a National Road Safety Council – comprised of professionals from the Ministry of Transport and Housing, the Ministry of Tourism, Investments, and Aviation, the Ministry of Health and Wellness, the Ministry of Education and Vocational and Technical Training, the Ministry of Public Works and Utilities, the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the Road Traffic Department, and the Department of Local Government.
“The Council will work in conjunction with the Road Traffic Department and will have primary responsibility for road safety campaigns and initiatives in The Bahamas,” he explained.
“The Council will also work to establish local, regional, and international partnerships to improve co-operation, enhance networking, and exchange best practices.”
March 6-12 has been designated as Road Safety Week. Several activities are planned to promote road safety throughout The Bahamas.
“Efforts are also underway to improve and enhance the vehicle inspection and testing processes at the Road Traffic Department. It is important to note that the new processes will not frustrate or disenfranchise members of the public,” Mr Campbell said.
“We must move from a manual vehicle inspection to a digital vehicle inspection regime that not only tests braking and light systems, but also suspension, wheel alignment, and shock systems. In short, the new vehicle inspection process will ensure that safe vehicles are on our streets.
“For our country’s sake we must reduce the number of traffic fatalities on our streets. One life lost is one too many. Traffic accidents are preventable, and we must encourage safe driving on a consistent and everyday basis.”
On behalf of Transport and Housing Minister JoBeth Coleby- Davis, Mr Campbell invited the opposition to partner with the government on this “necessary road safety campaign” and advised all Bahamians to “slow down to stay alive”.
Comments
stillwaters 1 year, 6 months ago
And I am guessing that the contracts for the digital testing will go the friends and family.
IslandWarrior 1 year, 6 months ago
It is noteworthy that the previous Christie administration had initiated a public-private partnership (PPP1) to construct a state-of-the-art administration building and vehicle inspection centre consisting of four main buildings, including an administration complex, a technical support and facilities management building, a vehicle inspection centre, and storage and maintenance areas. The project, which was expected to be completed in December 2018, was halted by the Minnis administration due to concerns about PPP arrangements made by the previous administration involving a $5 million payment.
While Works Minister Desmond Bannister criticized the PPP arrangements made by his predecessors, he commended the Road Traffic Department arrangement as a model for executing such projects in his budget debate speech last year. However, there is no mention of a meeting at Britely Restaurant & Bar, Eneas St off Poinciana Drive Nassau, Bahamas, where the current Brave administration met with the owner of PTI Bahamas/DACS and promised the group members, who later met with him at his office when he was the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Works, that their proposal to relaunch the Road Traffic Department would be considered. Brave later informed them that their detailed proposal, including samples and catalogues, went missing. Despite diligent efforts by the late Mr Bruce Walker to locate the missing package, other officials claimed to have seen it but could not recall what happened to it.
Although an updated and refined version of the offer was submitted to the Minnis/Turnquest administration and went to Cabinet, the administration had other cronyism plans. Thus, if the project is eventually completed and a new Road Traffic Department is established, it would undoubtedly be a step in the right direction for the country's development. However, it raises concerns about the government's integrity and treatment of Bahamians who invest years in an initiative only to have it stolen by the corruption that plagues the government.
The proposals by the Bahamas Automobile Safety and Inspection Centre Ltd were first submitted to the Government in 2014 in response to the bidding process for modernizing the vehicle licensing process that Data Torque ultimately won. Vehicle licence plate manufacturing was handed to the Department of Correctional Services (Fox Hill prison) in 2016 in partnership with US firm John R. Wald Company.
ThisIsOurs 1 year, 6 months ago
While an improved vehicle inspection process is great how did they make this giant leap from that to reducing traffic accidents?
Who are these speech writers??? From the price control who didnt know the difference between products and product categories to the budget writer who didnt understand what a greater than symbol was when comparing numbers and now this speech that makes a claim that wheel alignments will reduce traffic accidents.
I suppose that means people only run red lights, overtake without due care and speed when their wheels aren't properly aligned. Why didnt they get a report from the police on all traffic accidents in the past 5 years and the causes of those accidents to report on number with wheels not aligned and bad suspension
This seems like a money making scam that has no origination in concern for road safety because accidents arent caused by the car they're caused by the driver
IslandWarrior 1 year, 6 months ago
If a country drives on the left but imports vehicles from countries that drive on the right, and we do not align the headlights, I can empathize with your feelings of confusion and frustration.
ThisIsOurs 1 year, 6 months ago
Also how in gods name can they enforce these rules with all the bad roads constant flooding and hidden craters?
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