THE Guyana Police Force (GPF) Traffic Department has revealed a 29.3 per cent decrease in fatal accidents for the year thus far as compared to last year.

According to Traffic Chief, Dion Moore, there are a number of factors which have contributed to the decrease. During an interview with the Department of Public Information/Government Information Agency (DPI/GINA), Moore noted that one of the main factors in the decrease is the collaborative effort between the GPF and stakeholders. Moore highlighted that, “We [GPF] maximised the use of our breathalyzers and the radar guns; we have patrols both by day and by night. By nights we have specifically ‘car patrolling’, also we have enforced the ‘warrant drives,’ which compels a person who have been issued with a warrant for traffic infringement, to pay that warrant.”

The ‘warrant drives,’ Moore said, is the traffic department’s weekly exercise, which has been a success so far. Moore pointed out that, in the past, persons were reluctant to pay when issued, traffic tickets for breaking the law. The implementation of this initiative, he said allows for persons who were issued with traffic tickets to be monitored and brought to the court if they fail to pay.

However, the Traffic Chief emphasised that despite the decrease, much more needs to be done if Guyana is to achieve the United Nation’s decade of action, which seeks to reduce road fatalities by 50 per cent by 2020. While the current decrease is not close to what needs to be achieved, Moore is optimistic that Guyana will be able to reach its target.

“If we start getting decreases, then there is likelihood, it is very far reaching but we are trying our best to see how best we can minimise accidents deaths on our roads, we will continue to enforce and educate the members of the public” the Traffic Chief stated.

The Traffic Department, in collaboration with the Guyana National Road Safety Council, plays a critical role in educating the public about road safety. The countrywide ‘White Knight’ campaign and educational talks in schools are some of the many activities rolled out by the Traffic Department to curb road accidents and fatalities.

To date, there have been 45 accidents in 2017, compared to 62 in 2016, 48 deaths in 2017 as compared to 66 in 2016, while one child has been involved in an accident in 2017 compared to four in 2016.

The statistics are recorded from January 1, 2017 to June 20 and January 1, 2016 to June 20, 2017 respectively. (DPI/GINA)