DESPITE the significant reduction in road fatalities over the first eight-month period this year in comparison to the same period last year, the Guyana Police Force has expressed disappointment in the way minibus drivers continue to display carelessness.This is in accordance with a report presented by Traffic Officer, Senior Superintendent Whitney Bacchus during a ceremony staged last Sunday by the Traffic Department in collaboration with the Guyana National Road Safety Council to commemorate United Nations (UN) Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.
The Senior Police Superintendent reported that since the year began, there have been 87 fatal accidents, resulting in 103 casualties, inclusive of 12 children, while in 2014 Guyana saw 111 fatal accidents, resulting in 114 deaths including those of 15 children.
The report indicated that for the eight-month period fatal accidents decreased by 24, while deaths decreased by 11 and the death of children on the roadways decreased also by three, compared to the same period last year.
Ending road deaths can become easier if all work together. So said Senior Superintendent Bacchus while acknowledging that the Guyana Police Force had recognised that members could do better. They are expected to do everything in their power to ensure that Guyana’s roads are safe.
He also called on members of the public to develop a comfortable and friendly relationship with the police, so that together all stakeholders could become involved in making Guyana a safer country. The police are asking members of the public to make just one call whenever they notice someone making a dangerous traffic mistake or playing with the law.
“Errant drivers continue to cause loss of lives, leaving a lifetime of pain in the hearts and memories of many families. We all need to display high level of responsibility as we use the road. If we ourselves use the road carelessly we can cause accidents,” the Officer stated. (Shauna Jemmott)