The consequences of reckless driving

I CONCUR with Andy’s letter in Monday’s paper about reckless Zululand drivers who should think about the consequences of their actions every time they get behind the wheel of their vehicles.

Travelling daily on the R102 between Empangeni and Mtunzini, without fail I will encounter at least one idiot who seems to have suicidal tendencies.

It is especially the ‘young guns’ with their souped up models who are the dangerous ones.

Full of bravado, they will fly past at breakneck speeds along the route where countless young children and bewildered animals cross the roads, or dice with death by impatiently overtaking on solid lines around bends and blind rises. Not to mention the troglodytes who arrogantly ignore red traffic lights. I see them every single day in Empangeni.

To these drivers, responsibility and consequences are obviously Latin words.

The problem is these drivers get away with it – until the day when their luck finally runs out.

On Monday it ran out for the occupants of a black Golf and another car on the notorious bends between the uMhlathuze River bridge and the university circle, their bodies strewn across the road as stark evidence that the last act of madness by one of the drivers brought grief not only to him- or herself, but also to innocent people.

When will we ever learn that the moment we switch on the ignition, we are in control of a potential killing machine and have a responsibility to act with utmost responsibility?

The escalating death toll on Zululand roads are simply unacceptable and we need to do more than feeble appeals from authorities to bring back order.

Hit the reckless drivers hard.

The reality is that traffic officials cannot be everywhere and although we’re grateful for speed traps and roadblocks to nab unlicenced drivers and remove unroadworthy vehicles – which do contribute to safer driving – ways must be found to allocate more resources to patrol the roads and stop the mayhem.

MC THERON