Barbados confronts a severe road safety emergency described as ‘dangerous and unacceptable,’ with urgent demands for governmental action emerging just days before national elections. Alarming statistics reveal approximately 50,000 of the island’s 180,000 vehicles operate without valid insurance—representing one in four motorists driving illegally. Former Barbados Road Safety Association president Sharmane Roland-Bowen characterized this not as minor administrative negligence but as a full-scale crisis eroding legal foundations and public safety.
The insurance sector reports unsustainable strain from approximately 15 daily collisions, with average repair costs reaching $10,000 per incident and doubling when injuries occur. Particularly troubling is the finding that 30% of accidents involve uninsured or unlicensed drivers, creating massive financial burdens for compliant motorists through increased premiums and uncompensated damages. Roland-Bowen detailed how uninsured drivers frequently flee collision scenes, leaving victims responsible for repair costs and insurance excesses despite their own compliance with regulations.
Enforcement failures extend beyond insurance compliance. Reports indicate commercial vehicles operating without road taxation, while systemic issues include reduced police presence at accident scenes enabling fraudulent insurance documentation presentation. Roland-Bowen criticized misaligned enforcement priorities that focus on secondary issues like window tinting while neglecting core dangers including uninsured driving, impaired motorists, and deteriorating infrastructure.
Despite substantial revenue collection through road taxes and fuel levies, potholes plague transportation networks, forcing dangerous avoidance maneuvers that increase collision risks. The crisis now demands political accountability, with voters urged to question electoral candidates about concrete solutions. Proposed measures include regulatory reforms requiring dual insurance certificates—with one mandatory copy kept in vehicles—plus stricter penalties, license suspensions, and removal of illegal vehicles from roads.
Roland-Bowen emphasized that meaningful change requires sustained public pressure, governmental accountability, and rigorous law enforcement, warning that without decisive action, conditions will continue deteriorating, further endangering lives, property, and citizens’ rights.