We have written several editorials about the traffic anarchy in the British Virgin Islands. However, over the time and to our dismay, the situation has worsened. On the part of the bad motorists there is a blatant display of their carelessness and bravado, and this hurts every good, law-abiding citizen in this community.

Take for example the motorists who parade back and forth to perform as four-wheel contortionists, with each and every wheel screeching and making horrendous noises.

As expected we are seeing motorists who do not stop when the lights are red, and we also see that on the four-lane highway most motorists use the wrong lane to overtake, and many just recklessly zig-zag from one lane to the next as if in competition.

But there is a relatively new and most diabolic development. The sidewalks flanking the highway are often used by pedestrians who hitch-hike. Not all get a free ride but most women do and male drivers go out of their way to be cavalier, and in so doing they stop suddenly without any indication of their intentions. Best of all, they stop in turns and in dangerous spots where the potential for deadly accidents is exceedingly high.

The hitch-hiking is particularly obnoxious in the round-about area, but it occurs at any juncture on the highway. some motorists seem to be “ignorant” of the fact that what they are doing is a traffic offence; they also seem to overlook the fact that in case of an accident, if the person who gets a lift suffers any injury, the driver will be responsible for it. In fact some type of car insurance does not cover passengers. So the driver will have to pay out of his own pocket!!

We are aware that once the traffic regulations are properly and adequately enforced all of this anarchy will lessen, but we are not aware of any regulation contemplating fines or measures against pedestrians who hitch-hike in areas that can cause traffic jams, obstruction of traffic and/or very serious if not fatal traffic accidents.

As much as we would like to see the motorists punished for breaking the law, we also believe that part of the blame should be shared by the often inconsiderate hitch-hiker who knows all too well that what he or she is doing is totally wrong.

In the end it all revolves around the fact that despite increases in the staff of our traffic wardens and in our police force, the situation on the roads has never been worse than it is at present. If the law is not enforced, if the offenders can go unpunished, then the BVI  has a serious problem, and it is in the nature of problems to take care of you if you do not take care of them. Fix it now or regret it later.