Traffic laws need to be enforced
WE ALREADY have laws in place to keep law-abiding drivers on Guernsey roads as safe as possible, but the police are not willing to enforce them. Daily I see vehicles on our roads with non-Guernsey number plates. I am aware that if these vehicles are in the island for less than one year they remain legal. The law clearly states if you are planning to stay in Guernsey for more than one year then you must register your vehicle within 14 days. If the police do not enforce this law they are encouraging lawbreaking. Also there have been two recent court cases where the defendants did not have valid driving licences, yet no order was made against them. I know that is not the fault of the police, but a decision of the judiciary. Surely there are more than enough drivers already here or are coming to this island with invalid licences or those who have never even owned a valid driving licence.
Driving without insurance is now commonplace. In the past, people would do anything to avoid getting their name in the paper and would make sure that they were insured even if they could not read the insurance documents properly themselves.
We used to be well protected by our police force and would be wary if we had to drive on the footpath, which was, and probably still is, against the law. Every time I take the car through the Vrangue I see vehicles, often unnecessarily, drive onto the footpath and stay on it until they get to the wider part of the road, sometimes in the presence of a police car.
I don't know what the job description is for a policeman, but I am sure that the protection of the law abiding is more likely to be written in rather than the protection of law breakers, which on the roads at least appears to be the case at this time.
NAME AND ADDRESS WITHHELD
Editor's footnote: Guernsey Police replies:
'We have a Roads Policing Unit dedicated to dealing with these sorts of incidents. All operational officers have the ability to use their discretion when dealing with members of the public who transgress the sometimes complex traffic legislation. However, the more serious the offence, the more likely it is that offenders will be placed before the courts.
Guernsey's highways are unique and narrow in nature and as such road safety education and, where necessary, enforcement remains a priority for Guernsey Police. Additionally, if your correspondent has information or evidence we would encourage them to contact us on 725111, or alternatively they could anonymously call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.'
