A ‘culture’ of drinking and driving | Local news

A culture of speeding and driving under the influence are problems that continue to plague the country’s roads.

The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) earlier this month warned motorists to obey traffic laws, particularly those related to speeding and drink driving.

In a statement, TTPS said officers had seen an increase in drivers driving over the legal alcohol limit.

The TTPS described the increase in drink drivers as a worrying trend.

The TTPS said it had seen a “significant increase” in cases where drivers were arrested for driving under the influence.

“The legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in Trinidad and Tobago is 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 milliliters of breath.

However, many drivers have been detected well above this threshold, putting their lives and those of others on the road at risk,” the statement said. “Tragically, this increase in drink driving incidents has coincided with an increase in road traffic deaths in 2024. TTPS is deeply concerned about the safety of all road users and will step up its efforts.”

Arrive Alive president Sharon Inglefield told the Sunday Express that while there had been a reduction in people driving under the influence over the years, there appeared to be a slight increase recently.

“I agree with TTPS that more people are driving under the influence. The police back up their story with their data, so when they catch people breaking the speed limit, they track the data. So I think it’s very fair. Again, we’re appealing to motorists to obey the speed limit or designate a sober driver or call a taxi or a friend,” Inglefield said.

She said officers who work tirelessly on the nation’s roads will be celebrated through the Annual Road Safety Awards Ceremony. “We have an awards ceremony for police officers because it is important that they continue to be proactive to avoid the loss of more lives. We call on them to continue to get out there and do the work of proactive law enforcement,” she said.

Thirty-seven people have lost their lives in road accidents so far in 2024, compared to 41 for the same period last year. Traffic and Highways Patrol Branch Senior Superintendent David Powder told the Sunday Express that his officers were maintaining a steady level of road enforcement for the year, with road patrol units arresting and charging 244 drivers for driving under the influence influence (DUI) for the year. .

“This continues to be a dangerous practice for some drivers and the court system has taken a tougher approach to sentencing, with stiff fines handed down by magistrates ranging from $10,000 for first time offenders to $20,000 for second and repeat offenders “, he said.

Police road safety project co-ordinator Sgt Brent Batson also indicated that for 2024, TTPS traffic units issued 3,536 speeding tickets to drivers for exceeding the speed limit on the road and 8,820 tickets were issued for seat belt breaches.

Batson said these are high-risk behaviors that can lead to serious injury or death on the roads.

“Thanks to our partner road enforcement agencies such as the Traffic Wardens and Licensing Division for their efforts and of course to members of the public who do their bit by simply obeying the traffic laws and being careful and cautious on the national roads,” Batson . said.

An excuse to drink

Elizabeth Rodriguez, a Trinidadian psychologist based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, believes that there is an inherent culture of speeding and drunk driving in this country.

“The speeding never seems to end. But when it comes to driving under the influence, everything we do in Trinidad is an excuse to drink. So whether it’s family gatherings, sporting events that sometimes turn into holiday games, parties, you name it, we use it as a reason to drink,” Rodriguez said.

“Even though a person may already be intoxicated, they think they can handle more alcohol. And because they feel invincible, most people don’t think about their drunk driving. “When they get away with driving under the influence, it creates false feelings, like a sense of confidence that they can drive under the influence and everything will be fine, and that leads to repeat behavior,” Rodriguez said.

Global traffic deaths fell last year

The Global Road Safety Status Report 2023, which was compiled by the World Health Organization (WHO), found that the annual number of road traffic deaths fell slightly to 1.19 million last year.

The report indicated that efforts to improve road safety have had an impact and that significant reductions in road traffic deaths can be achieved if proven measures are applied.

Despite this, the WHO noted: “The price paid for mobility remains too high. Road traffic injuries remain the leading killer of children and young people aged 5-29. More than half of the deaths occur among pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, especially among those living in low- and middle-income countries. Urgent action is needed to achieve the global target of at least halving road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030.”

Globally, the number of road traffic deaths has decreased by 5% since 2010. The global death rate per 100,000 inhabitants has decreased by 16% since 2010, compared to a 13% increase in the global population.

The global fatality rate per 100,000 vehicles has fallen by 41% since 2010, compared to a 160% increase in the global motor vehicle fleet.

The overall share of deaths fell by 1% among four-wheelers and 2% among two- and three-wheelers since 2010, but increased from 5% to 6% among cyclists.

In 108 countries, reductions in deaths were seen between 2010 and 2021, including, for the first time, low-income countries.

Ten countries in four regions have reached the target of a 50% reduction in road traffic deaths between 2010 and 2021.

When it comes to speed management, WHO noted that speed management remains one of the biggest challenges facing road safety practitioners worldwide and called for a concerted, long-term, multidisciplinary response.

The speed at which a vehicle is traveling directly influences the risk of a crash, as well as the severity of injuries sustained and the likelihood of death resulting from that crash, he noted.

Reducing vehicle speeds in areas where the road user mix includes a high volume of vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists is particularly important, the report said.

The report says that drinking alcohol significantly increases the risk and severity of a crash, and therefore the chance that it will result in death and serious injury.

In high-income countries, it is estimated that approximately 20% of fatally injured drivers have blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) above the legal limit.

Studies in low- and middle-income countries show that between 33% and 69% of fatally injured drivers had consumed alcohol before the crash.

The risk of death is three times higher in low-income countries than in high-income countries, despite the fact that these countries have less than 1 percent of all motor vehicles, the report said.