-police see 61% increase in non-fatal accidents

THE Guyana Police Force (GPF) has recorded a 61 per cent increase in vehicular accidents for the year, and thus the Traffic Task Force has been reintroduced to curb accidents.Traffic Chief Dion Moore has said that using cell phones while driving, and being inattentive are among the reasons for this increase, according to a release from the Government Information Agency (GINA).

“Our main focus will be to catch (and) capture drivers who choose to drive above the prescribed limit; speeding in areas where there are traffic lights; breach of traffic lights’ control signals; (and) driving (while) using a cell phone as well,” Moore explained.

The reintroduction of the Traffic Task Force is expected to address these concerns and other traffic violations. The Task Force, which will include inspectors in its ranks, will be conducting enforcement exercises in all divisions.

Using cell phones while driving is “a soaring issue” for the Traffic Department, Moore added. However, effectively charging persons for this violation is difficult for policemen. Officers first have to catch the offender in the act, but many drivers deny that they had been using their cell phones when accosted by the police.

“A lot of persons, when they see the police, upon recognising the police, they’ll drop the phone in the vehicle and remain in the same position that they were at; and they will try to contest with the police that they were on the call,” said Moore.

Police have, however, been assisted by the surveillance cameras that are installed across the city, Moore said.

“We do find a lot of cases coming out of the CCTV cameras, and we will continue in that regard,” Moore pointed out. The cameras have also assisted the Force in bringing charges against drivers who breach traffic lights.

The Task Force, along with the cameras, is also expected to assist in curbing these violations during the period it is in operation – from Friday to Monday.

“We find most of the accidents occurring during that (weekend) period, and a lot of these drivers are found above the prescribed limit of alcohol,” Moore told GINA.

He also pointed out that there has been a 50 per cent increase in fatal accidents, and an increase of 21 per cent in minor accidents.

There have been 60 reported accidents for this year, compared with 40 during the same period last year. While Moore has identified driving under the influence as the major cause for some of the accidents, speeding and inattentiveness have also been deemed responsible for most of the reported fatal accidents.

A total of 12,161 persons have so far been charged with speeding, and speeding has been the offence for which the police have issued the most tickets, Moore added. The Traffic Chief said that everyday enforcement, coupled with education awareness across the country, will be used to decrease traffic accidents.

“We’ll work along with the stakeholders, the National Road Safety Council and other organisations, to see how best we can reduce accidents,” Moore said.

The Traffic Department will be targeting youth organisations and holding vocational training programmes over the August holiday period to conduct educational programmes on road safety.