Basseterre, St. Kitts, May 29, 2020 (SKNIS): With the number of traffic accidents that occurred over the last couple of days, Divisional Commander for District A, Superintendent Cromwell Henry, appealed to motorists to exercise prudence when commuting, especially leading up to the nightly curfews currently in place due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
“We remind residents, in particular motorists, that you are to give yourself sufficient time to get home without having to drive above the speed limit or driving risky – taking risks. Some persons do not even stop at the roundabouts, they just go straight through disregarding persons who may be already in the roundabout or who are approaching from their right,” said Superintendent Henry at the NEOC COVID-19 Daily Briefing for May 28, 2020. Once again, we appeal to all road users to observe all traffic rules and to give yourself sufficient time so that you do not have to exceed the speed limit or break traffic rules to beat the curfew. The life you save may be your own,” he added.
Superintendent Henry said that several accidents are currently under investigation.
“The police are currently investigating several traffic accidents around the island that occur close to the start of the nightly curfew. We are beginning to see a pattern of significant damages resulting from these accidents around this time. The most recent of these accidents occurred last Monday night on the F.T. Williams Highway which resulted in a pole being completely uprooted from its base leaving the area without electricity for some time,” he said. “We suspect that these are persons who are hurrying to get home before the curfew.”
The Superintendent made a special appeal for businesses to close in time to provide staff and customers sufficient time to get home.
“Businesses are reminded also that you are required to close within a reasonable time to give your customers and your staff sufficient time ahead of the curfew period which begins at 8:01 pm. We recommend 6 pm for gas stations and supermarkets and 7 pm for smaller shops in communities,” said Superintendent Henry.