Traffic Chief advocates harsher penalties for errant drivers

POLICE Traffic Chief Neil Semple has suggested that, in view of the numerous road accidents, many fatal, the authorities need to review the laws and legislate harsher penalties for errant drivers.

He advocated that persons found driving under the influence of alcohol should have their licences withdrawn and imprisoned instead of fined.

Semple declared that drivers continue to act callously on the roadways and the Police are continuing the road safety campaigns countrywide, with the aim of reducing fatalities.

He spoke yesterday, up to when the country had recorded four road fatalities – two in Berbice; one at Lusignan, East Coast Demerara; and one at Diamond, East Bank Demerara.

Semple, again, appealed to all road users to adhere to the traffic laws and, at all times while driving, pay attention.
The Guyana Chronicle contacted Semple, after Owen Elliot, a driver employed by Guyana Publications Inc., publishers of Stabroek News newspapers, died earlier in the day, after the vehicle he was driving careened into a trench at Diamond, East Bank Demerara.
Semple said it is unclear how the accident happened but the victim was pulled from the ‘Suzuki’ van, in which he was at the steering wheel and pronounced dead on arrival at the Diamond Hospital, shortly after 03:00 hrs.
Investigators are awaiting the results of a post mortem examination on the corpse of the deceased.

Elliott’s widow, Annette Lawrence, 52, of Lot 168 Thomas Street, Kitty, Georgetown, told the Guyana Chronicle he left home for work, as usual, on Tuesday night and her daughter received a telephone call, from a friend, about the tragedy.

Lawrence said, by the time she reached Diamond Hospital, he had already been taken to the morgue.
She said the father of two daughters, 21-year-old Rowena and Rhya, 15, was on the night shift to deliver newspapers to vendors.

His children described him as a very hard working and loving man and Guyana Publications Inc. Human Resources Officer, Ms. Morsha Etkins, said he had been employed there, in the Circulation Department, for some eight years, to drive and his death is a great loss to the company.

HARD WORKER

Etkins confirmed that he was a hard worker, who performed beyond the call of duty and lamented his rather unfortunate death.
Extending sympathy to his family, she said, at the time he was killed, he was doing distribution and the vehicle he drove veered off the wet road.
Meanwhile, the fatal accident, in which Julian Mohabir, 23, of Sheet Anchor, East Canje, Berbice, died, occurred about 21:15 hrs on Tuesday, January 4, at Canje.
Police investigations revealed that he and four other persons were in motor car PHH 6528, driven by Dwayne Joseph, 25, of Tucber Park, New Amsterdam, also in Berbice.
They were crossing the Canje Bridge when the driver, while overtaking another vehicle, was confronted by an oncoming one. He swerved to avoid a collision but lost control of his vehicle and struck a utility pole.
All five occupants suffered injuries and were taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital where Mohabir was pronounced dead on arrival.
Joseph, Nigel Henry, 34, of Asylum Street and Vincent Vandenburg, 25, of Coburg Street, both in New Amsterdam and Revaldo Antigua, 21, of Sheet Anchor, are patients at the New Amsterdam Hospital.
Meanwhile, Melroy Jeffrey, 36, of Annandale, has been charged with causing the death of Mark Seebarran, by dangerous driving on January 2.
He has since appeared before Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus at Cove and John Court, also on the East Coast of Demerara and was granted $250,000 bail until February 3.
The charge resulted from investigations into the death of Seebarran, a pedal cyclist of Lusignan, about 03:10 h on Sunday, at Lusignan Public Road.
Motor car HB 7825 hit him while he was towing his wife, Melissa Robinson, 22.