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The National, Thursday 6th June 2013
THE heavy-handed tactics used by the so-called city rangers is uncalled for. How can this group expect to win the trust and respect of the public with their conduct? A group of them who move around in a red Toyota Hilux should be arrested by police for overloading and traffic infringements such as stopping in the middle of the road and cutting across lanes at will.
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IN March, drunks in Port Moresby were warned that they could become statistics for the ‘Drunk Patrol Operation’ which targeted alcohol drinking in public places and in moving vehicles. A high proportion of Papua New Guineans do not know how to drink sensibly and most are nuisances in their neighbourhood – playing loud music, smashing bottles on the streets, and causing street fights. Maybe the metropolitan police superintendent should advertise what numbers the public can call to report these drunkards.
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WHAT is the penalty for a driver who is caught using a mobile phone while driving in PNG? In some countries you get an automatic fixed penalty notice, you get penalty points on your licence and a fine as well. Your case could also to court where you could be disqualified and get the maximum fine. It is time local authorities inform the public what such penalties, if any, are and start imposing them also.
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DRIVING while distracted is a serious and growing threat to road safety. With more and more people owning mobile phones, this problem is likely to escalate in the coming years. Obviously in PNG, this problem is already out of hand because the concerned authorities are not being proactive in implementing the penalties.
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USING mobile phones can cause drivers to take their eyes off the road, their hands off the steering wheel, and their minds off the road and the surrounding situations. It is now evident that if you are using a mobile phone while driving, you are approximately four times more likely to be involved in a crash than a driver who is not using a phone.
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A RELIEF for mum following a little mishap. Miss Seven got into a push-and-shove with cousins during an outing. A bump resulted in a front tooth coming loose and much to her disappointment, it finally fell out without her knowing it. She had been looking forward to a lucrative visit from the Tooth Fairy.
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TO salve her disappointment, the Tooth Fairy slipped K2 under her pillow which she joyfully showed to everyone. Tooth Fairy folklore states that when a child loses a baby tooth and places it under his or her bed pillow, the fairy will visit while the child sleeps leaving a small payment for the lost tooth.
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