St Mary Superintendent laments poor road etiquette
ST MARY, Jamaica — Superintendent of Police in charge of St Mary, Bobbette Morgan Simpson says ‘there’s no discretion’ for unruly motorists who disregard the rules of the roads.
Simpson Morgan was speaking at the recently held St Mary Municipal Corporation meeting. She spoke on the heels of the recent demonstration by taxi operators in the parish, arguing that certain laws are in place for the safety of road users.
“You are demonstrating because there are some laws in place. You are complaining that you are ticketed because of you not wearing a seat belt. Why were you given a seat belt ticket? You broke the law,” she argued.
She pointed out that the seatbelt is fitted in vehicles for safety reasons. Morgan Simpson noted that on the day of the demonstration, motorists complained that the police do not use their discretion towards them in regards to seatbelts.
“Discretion is not in the books. It is whether or not the police will give you a chance at the time,” she expressed.
She further noted that the demonstration made a statement but did not solve the problem.
“When I spoke with some of the taxi operators, many agreed the trend is poor driving. Not only that, so many taxis are on the road and everybody has to “eat a food,” she stated.
Superintendent Morgan Simpson further expressed that there’s a culture of having one’s own way and disregard for law and order.
St Mary has recorded 204 vehicular crashes since the start of the year with five fatalities and 39 injuries. Up to the same time last year, the parish had recorded 222 crashes with five fatalities.