IN wake of the recent figures released by the Guyana Police Force on road accidents and fatalities thus far for 2014, Cabinet has registered its concern over this situation, and has fully endorsed the recommendations of its sub-committee that was examining this phenomenon.Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon, addressing a post-Cabinet media briefing yesterday, said those recommendations include legislative reform on traffic offences, which means going back to Parliament and enacting legislation, making it easier to prosecute, and in some instances, defining newer offences under the road traffic extant legislation.
Another aspect will include more sensitisation and public awareness. “The road safety campaign is of course ongoing, but more has to be done particularly with the observation of that significant at-risk population, the pedestrians,” Dr Luncheon stated.
The HPS noted that some Cabinet members have even suggested the sensitisation campaign be taken to leisure spots.
“Much more sensitisation will have to be provided to make driving less of a hazard to other drivers and pedestrians, and then the third was rendering more effective the policing of the traffic sector, and some of the thoughts included more traffic ranks, the increase presence on the roadways and to whatever extent possible, greater enforcement of the traffic laws.”
As at the end of October 2014, 113 road fatalities from 104 accidents were recorded in comparison to 85 fatalities from 79 accidents for the same period in 2013; a 33% increase in fatalities.
Dr. Luncheon said Cabinet felt those statistics are terrible, as pedestrians were significantly more at risk for the fatalities that occurred and are occurring in 2014.
He pointed out that speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol were prime contributory factors in this escalating road accidents and fatalities statistics.
“By themselves those statistics revealed how dangerous the roads in Guyana are becoming and when compared with previous years and in other jurisdictions, the comparison is even more alarming.”
It is the Cabinet’s contention, Dr. Luncheon said, that there are more vehicles on the road, and more drivers and traffic infractions were all increasing and playing a role in this depressing situation.
“Even more, Cabinet was counselled, was the fact that the PPP/Civic road programme, an ambitious programme that has seen billions of dollars spent in 2014 for road rehabilitation, that also contributed, is thought to be playing a role in these alarming statistics.”
Meanwhile in response to questions about capacity building for traffic ranks, the Cabinet Secretary conceded that there is the need for such. However, he added that while there is need for improvement, there is equally the need for the quantitative factor to be considered.
“There is indeed room for both qualitative and quantitative contribution to the work that the traffic ranks make in this fight against traffic accidents and road fatalities.”

PENALTIES FOR INFRACTIONS
When asked about introducing harsher penalties for traffic infractions, Dr. Luncheon pointed out that some moves have been made, but noted that more can be done.
The last legislative undertaking was via the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill 2014 which was unanimously passed in the National Assembly, paving the way for the implementation of the Demerit Points System. The Bill introduces for the first time in Guyana the ‘Demerit Points System’ which would be used to sanction errant drivers. If a person accumulates 10 or more demerit points, but less than 16, the period of disqualification from holding a driver’s license is set at six months. If that person acquires 12 demerit points or more over a 12-month period, the period of disqualification then moves to one year. However, if a person acquires a total of six or more but less than 10 demerit points due to traffic offences committed, the Bill requires the Licensing Authority to notify the driver in writing.
Also the Summary Jurisdiction (Procedure) (Amendment) Bill 2013, which was passed by the National Assembly, in January, allows for persons issued with a traffic ticket to pay the prescribed penalty to the clerk of the court of any magisterial district regardless of where the traffic offence was committed – increasing the efficiency of the ticketing system.