We would like to share an email sent to the Arrive Alive road safety website from a concerned road user:
Dear Mr,
I want to congratulate Mr Ishmail on his bravery! Road deaths are always attributed to speed and drink and now AT LAST he has mentioned illegal overtaking!
How do crashes involving more than one vehicle happen mostly? They are the result usually of one of the vehicles overtaking illegally, whether due to speed or drunk driving, but they always involve illegal overtaking. Reading your yearly report I find very little, and in some statistics no mention mention of this evil. Is this because there are so few fines issued in this regard and therefore no figures available or will it scare people?
Every time one reads, or listens to discussions about road deaths, one is assailed by speed or drink being the root cause, but how do crashes and head-ons happen? I have yet to hear of anyone being fined for overtaking illegally! Is it better for our people to be killed at the present rate than to mobilise the traffic officials to take action, besides setting up cameras and then chilling out. Please do something about this blatant slaughter on our roads! It is causing untold misery to innocent families besides the financial costs to our country.
What happens to the reports to the Bad Driving report contact number? Is this info ever used or am I just wasting my time by gathering this info, spending time and money in phoning it in. [Also read info on Reporting of bad driving]
The VOTE POLL on your website reflects the secrecy or disregard about this evil on our roads in that you want to know whether, drunks, drivers on cell phones or whatever scare me the most and they are all scary, but what makes me quake with fear is the driver overtaking illegally as he WILL one day cause and accident. They become complacent as no action is taken and it becomes the normal way for them to drive. PLEASE do something. I have lost friends and family to this evil and not one to speeding or drunk drivers. Yes, the speeding driver is involved but only BECAUSE they are overtaking! So please add this to your poll and see the true fears out there!
Lastly, the “respond” or contact us on your website does not want to submit response in the name, email and birthday blocks I hope this is a fault and not a way to obviate reading or responding to us. [Email received..no other queries on this..]
Thank you for your efforts and look forward to seeing you guys responding to public outcries.
Yours in hope,
Maureen