'Drink responsibly' has become a very familiar phrase. However, while the onus of having pleasure, but being careful at the same time, is placed specifically on the drinker, the notion of taking care is certainly not restricted to alcohol.
And one of the ways that people often do not take charge of their own destinies is that they do not insist they are driven responsibly.
Drowned
This is underscored by the incident in which 22-year-old Kenroy Kentish drowned on the weekend after the car in which he was a passenger got out of control in the Bog Walk gorge and fell into the Rio Cobre. While the other two persons in the car, including the driver, naturally, swam to safety, Kentish perished. His body was found on Sunday, according to yesterday's STAR.
Preventable
We are not saying that this accident was preventable. However, so many of the motor vehicle accidents in which people die on Jamaica's roads are. And often those who perish are the passengers, while the drivers somehow take care of themselves.
As the persons who are being driven, it is up to the passengers to exert some measure of control over the driver when they are acting irresponsibly. They may not have the steering wheel, but they certainly have their voices. And these should be used to the driver, when necessary, slow down or stop.
Responsible driving can and should also come from the passenger seat.
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