Man killed in traffic accident 'did not have valid driver's licence'

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

The man who died in an overnight traffic accident was not in possession of a valid driver's license at the time of his death, traffic officials confirmed today.

Officer-in-charge of the Traffic Division Superintendent Craig Stubbs said the victim, 27-year-old McKinley Eugene, was only in possession of a provisional learners permit that had expired in 2013. Superintendent Stubbs said the car – a 2005 Nissan Note – belonged to a person known to victim.

Superintendent Stubbs also said that New Providence has recorded nine traffic fatalities this year, with two recorded in Grand Bahama.

He said the accident on the Tonique Williams-Darling Highway last night marked the third to take place on that thoroughfare this year. The fatal accident came 11 days after a woman, her four-year-old son and two-year-old daughter were critically injured after attempting to cross the highway.

"Our investigations have revealed that the victim at the time was driving a 2005 Nissan Note, and he was not, in any form, qualified to drive such a vehicle," Superintendent Stubbs said of last night's incident. "He was in possession of a provisional learners permit that had expired since the year 2013."

Superintendent Stubbs added: "He did not meet the requirements to operate that vehicle according to law. The principal cause we can say was speed and inexperience that resulted in that traffic fatality that claimed his life."

According to Superintendent Stubbs, Mr Eugene was traveling west in the southernmost lane on the highway, when, after passing a vehicle, he lost control and veered off the road and across the median.

The vehicle subsequently went airborne, overturned and landed upside down on top of a Cherokee Jeep headed east. 

The driver of the Jeep sustained minor injuries and glass particles to his face. However, Superintendent Stubbs said Mr Eugene, "based on all indication would have died on impact of both vehicles."

Superintendent Stubbs could not confirm the speed that the deceased was making at the time of his death, but said their sources confirmed that the deceased was driving "in excess of the speed limit”.

Superintendent Stubbs said the investigation was still ongoing, but said there would be charges levied against the vehicle's owner once police have ascertained just how Mr Eugene came to be in possession of the car.

He said the Police Traffic Department was concerned by what appears to be a "growing trend" by some delinquent drivers.

"We have cases where persons would insure the vehicle and within the space of 2-3 months they would go back and cancel the policy," he said. "Road traffic is not informed, but those of you who know, on the licence disc it will give you a date of expiration for that said policy of the insurance company. That remains on the vehicle for a year and, in the interim, the individual is driving that vehicle for a year without any insurance coverage. 

"This is a concern for us, a concern for other members of the public who have lost loved ones, who have had extensive damage done to their vehicle or their private properties. It is a concern that we want to say to all members of the public, if you are an owner of a vehicle and you're going to allow a family member or a friend to drive such a vehicle, we ask you to make sure they are covered by the insurance policy. 

He added: "Persons who have a learners permit, they are only eligible to drive that vehicle with an insured or adult person who is in possession of a valid drivers license. No person holding a learners permit should be able to operate a vehicle without being accompanied by a licensed driver."

However, Superintendent Stubbs said traffic fatalities were down in comparison to the same period last year, and said police are seeking new strategies to try and curb the problem.

"For the same period last year I will say that we are down," he said. "Reason being a lot of initiatives are in place during the Easter break. The Easter break of last year is where we saw that high volume of recorded incidents coming in from the Family Islands. This year that is not the case. So based on that trend we see it's down for the period.  

"We have initiated speed checks. Everywhere we go, we would engage in speed checks to enforce the speed limits within that zone. We are also dialoguing with the Ministry of Transport and Aviation and the Ministry of Works to see how best we can put in other measures to curb speed within those zones.

He added: "We have speed operations now in place and within the past week we cited over 100 plus drivers who were driving in excess of the speed limit, especially these corridors where we found the speed is contributing to the many accidents we see."

Comments

TheMadHatter says...

The problem with the speed limit thing is that they will give tickets to ordinary citizens for no good reason. A guy driving in a sensible manner along Tonique Hwy at, say, 51mph, will get booked for going over 45 - which is just stupid.

While they are on the side of the road writing up and checking insurance and all that on this law abiding citizen - they are unable to see the big fool two streets over who is terrorizing citizens peeling his camaro out of a stop sign in a crazy fashion, or the motorbike rider with his wheel up for half a mile against oncoming traffic with citizens who fear whether he's gonna tilt off balance just a little and come crashing into their windshield.

Those people never get tickets.

It's the ordinary people, drive just a couple miles over the STUPID 45mph speed limit (it should not apply everywhere), or the 30mph speed limit doing 34mph or 36mph or whatever on a straight piece of road and driving very well and carefully on their way to a movie or whatever. Yeah, they can ticket them because they are easy.

Mess with the Camaro or the street bike and they don't want to suffer the consequences (which I can't print here, but we all know who those people are).

It makes it "look like" their doing something though, to ticket somebody's grandmother.

**TheMadHatter**

Posted 10 April 2015, 11:06 p.m. Suggest removal

UserOne says...

If you are doing 51 mph when the speed limit is 45 mph then you are breaking the law and therefore not a "law abiding citizen". You cannot justify doing something wrong by pointing to someone else and saying what they are doing is more wrong and therefore you should not be held responsible for your actions.

Posted 11 April 2015, 10:33 a.m. Suggest removal

TheMadHatter says...

I understand what you mean -but what I am saying is that while they are bothering people who are going 4 or 6 mph over the speed limit - you have INSANE PEOPLE SCREECHING TIRES AND DOING CRAZY DANGEROUS THINGS all over the streets.

So if YOU are content that my grandmother gets a ticket for going 5 mph over the limit because she's a CRIMINAL and YOU are content that lunatics are endangering the lives of the public all day long without any worry of police ever bothering them - then GOOD FOR YOU. That is the kind of world that you like, and I wish you the best for continued happy living in it.

Posted 11 April 2015, 4:19 p.m. Suggest removal

Major_Pain says...

Have you seen the dumb cops on Bay Street? They stand in the middle of the road on a corner, around the bend, and when a car almost hits them due to it being a blind corner, they stop the car and try to give them a ticket or tell the driver to drive safer - meanwhile IT IS THEIR F-CKING FAULT. The cops here are so stupid they don't even realize they are causing the near accidents. When it comes to road traffic law enforcement, f-ck the police. Outside of that they got my support, and with road traffic they would get my support if they knew what the f-ck they were doing, and if they did it right. But they don't, and they wont, so f-ck them and their dumb asses.

Posted 12 April 2015, 5:37 p.m. Suggest removal

duppyVAT says...

That is why we need cameras to eticket speed demons and technology in patrol cars to run data on drivers and vehicles .................. the system of car id is obsolete ........ the RTD needs to give plates for life and elicensing to get rid of windshield info.......... No 21century country operated in this way anymore ..................... but the govt does not want to move there

Posted 11 April 2015, 1:42 p.m. Suggest removal

sansoucireader says...

Heard on the radio news recently (Friday?) that, yes, with cameras posted all over now don't be surprised if you receive a ticket in the mail or a summons from an officer of the court. Red-light Runners and others, seems like we are stepping into the 21st century after all.

Posted 12 April 2015, 3:24 p.m. Suggest removal

Major_Pain says...

Those are not the type of cameras used for that sort of application. In fact, since the FNM retards had a bunch of dumb foreign fucks from the Cayman Islands install them, they probably can barely make out the type or color of vehicle, let alone the license plate at high speed, especially at night - that's if the camera even works to begin with, since they depend on BEC, BTC, and the RBPF, plus the THOUSANDS of dollars you and the Bahamian public have to pay each time they call the DUMMIES from the Cayman islands to come down here, stay in a 5 star resort, and CLEAN the camera after every rainfall. The FNM juiced you good.

Posted 12 April 2015, 3:33 p.m. Suggest removal

Major_Pain says...

The local cops idea of "speeding" is 32mph. LOL

And RIP to the poor soul that lost his life.

Posted 12 April 2015, 3:31 p.m. Suggest removal

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