With just over a week before voters head to the polls, urgent calls were made on Monday for the next government to confront what has been described as a “dangerous and unacceptable” road safety crisis, amid mounting concern about thousands of uninsured vehicles and weak enforcement.
It’s estimated that one in every four vehicles operating on the island was uninsured — a situation the former president of the Barbados Road Safety Association, Sharmane Roland-Bowen, described as “not a minor administrative lapse” but a national crisis undermining the rule of law.
Figures from the Barbados Police Service indicate that of roughly 180 000 vehicles on the road, close to 50 000 are without valid insurance. Roland-Bowen added that reports indicate some commercial vehicles are also operating without road tax. She said these numbers point to a systemic enforcement failure, noting that responsible motorists who pay insurance, road tax and fuel levies are being unfairly penalised by the actions of a minority operating outside the law.
Bowen said: “When uninsured drivers were involved in collisions, they often fled the scene, leaving victims to absorb repair costs and insurance excesses for accidents they did not cause. Even motorists who were fully insured suffered long-term financial loss, particularly those who had invested in hybrid and fuel-efficient vehicles, as their resale value was permanently reduced after collisions, regardless of repairs.”
Against that backdrop, Roland-Bowen challenged political parties and candidates contesting the election to state clearly how they intend to address the crisis. “With general elections approaching, citizens must ask serious questions of those seeking office. Which political party is prepared to confront this growing crisis with decisive action? Which candidates are willing to prioritise the safety and financial protection of law-abiding road users?”
Identifying the problem must be followed by practical solutions, she suggested, including regulatory changes requiring insurers to issue two copies of insurance certificates and mandating that one copy be kept in the vehicle at all times to assist police checks.
The situation, she added, had been worsened by reports of uninsured drivers presenting false insurance details at accident scenes, a practice facilitated by reduced police attendance at traffic collisions. As a result, illegal drivers were evading responsibility while compliant motorists were left to shoulder the financial burden.
Her concerns come amid wider warnings from the insurance sector about the growing strain caused by traffic collisions. Barbados is averaging around 15 road accidents every day — a crash rate so severe that insurers have cautioned they can no longer absorb the escalating losses, even as motorists complain about rising premiums. The average repair bill per collision has been put at about $10 000, while accidents involving injuries routinely double that figure.
When multiplied across at least 15 crashes daily, the financial impact on insurers and the wider economy has been described as severe and deeply concerning. Co-operators General Insurance Company executive Anton Lovell reported that in three out of every ten accidents, the vehicles involved were either uninsured or driven by unlicensed motorists — a reality that leaves innocent third parties absorbing heavy financial losses.
Roland-Bowen also raised alarm about rising vehicle theft, saying “many victims faced prolonged delays and uncertainty in securing compensation or replacement vehicles, further highlighting what she described as a failure to adequately protect citizens and their property”.
She criticised what she saw as a misalignment of enforcement priorities, arguing that “attention appeared to be focused on secondary issues such as vehicle tint, while more serious threats including uninsured driving, impaired motorists and deteriorating road conditions were insufficiently addressed”.
Potholes continue to plague the road network despite substantial revenue collected through road taxes and fuel levies, forcing drivers to swerve and increasing the risk of collisions, she noted.
“The question must therefore be asked: is the government doing all it can, or merely the minimum required?” she said.
Roland-Bowen insisted that meaningful change would only come through sustained public pressure, stronger accountability from the government and rigorous enforcement by law enforcement agencies. She called for tougher penalties for uninsured driving, licence suspensions and the removal of illegal vehicles from the roads, warning that failure to act decisively would only allow conditions to worsen.
The issue could no longer be allowed to fade into silence, she said, adding that firm and consistent action is now required to protect lives, property and the rights of law-abiding citizens.
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