Dear Editor,

I am enraged, absolutely enraged. Not even two weeks into 2002 and four young persons are killed on our roads and many seriously injured by yet another irresponsible driver. Speed kills, and reckless drivers should be punished. Too often these cases are either dropped, money passed, files missing or the police prosecutors who are already overloaded with years of similar cases, appear unable to contend with the well paid defence lawyers. A typical example is the SN 12/01/2002 page 10 report: Two drag racers namely Andrew and Terry Persaud were charged with causing death by dangerous driving in a matter in October 1991 in which Mr. Singh and R Ramotar were killed. The case was heard by Magistrate Yaw. One offender was found guilty and was fined a mere $75,000 and the other was found guilty and "walked out of the court smiling!"

As I stand this Friday with Mothers In Black (our weekly vigil has been going now for over one and a half years), I again make a plea to our decision makers as to when our present traffic laws will be enforced and when will the new legislation be presented. May I also state that Mothers In Black are not only Mothers who are victims of this carnage on our roads, but includes concerned citizens who wish to stand with us. We are not "fanatics" or "the grief stricken". We are out there every Friday, opposite Parliament Buildings (occasionally the President's Office) so that other people do not have to go through what we have been through. While our arms are open to anyone who is a victim of a speeding and/or drunk driver, our main goal is to prevent further murders happening on our roads and to clear the streets of these impaired drivers. Our aim is to enforce legislation to take the "speeder" and drunk driver off our roads. Safety belts are not our only issue. New laws have to be put in place and enforced to stop these lunatics who kill and maim our children, more precious to us than our own lives.

Traffic law enforcement does not exist in Guyana, our children have little or no road safety education, our decision makers are doing nothing but talk about new traffic legislation, and our judicial system has little or no regard for human lives, one can literally get away with murder!

Enough is enough, I am angry and extremely disappointed that after one and a half years of protesting against this slaughter on our roads we who have lost our loved ones continue to be ignored.