Over the years, our govern-ments have failed to enact legis-lations to stem illegal acts and in instances where we have laws, punishment for breaking them is not severe enough to have a deterrent effect.

So, we find that more and more of our citizens have turned to doing wrong, as they have no fear of the being caught and or punished. Today, we see more acts of vandalism being committed, including the theft of school and other community property. We also have copycat stoning of buses and, worse, motorists showing scant regard for the road-traffic laws.

Lawless behaviour

Last week, I was driving towards Kingston on Highway 2000, where I exited at the Spanish Town/Ocho Rios (Hill Run) exit. To my horror, a minivan came towards me from the opposite direction. For a fleeting moment, I went into panic mode, stepped hard on my brakes and pulled over, thinking I was on the wrong side of the road. Panic turned into rage when I realised that the driver of the minivan had entered the highway from the egress to avoid paying the toll on the Hill Run entrance to the Kingston leg of the highway.

Others to follow

This person, by this callous act, endangered my life and members of my family. I surmised that this was not the first time that this minivan driver had done this and I feel secure to say others have copied this behaviour, in that we like to boast and show off how we beat the system.

If we do not have strong prison sentences meted out to drivers such as this, who put the lives of the travelling public in jeopardy, traffic accidents and road fatalities will continue to rise.

I am, etc.,

AUTHNEL REID

authnelreid@optonline.net

USA