THE Guyana National Road Safety Council (GNRSC) on Friday launched a ‘Major Stops’ campaign to sensitise the travelling public to the need to observe stop signs and traffic rules in general.
The initiative is not intended for the city alone, as it will be launched in other parts of the country.

Several disc jockeys (DJs) were on hand on Friday morning to kick-start the GNRSC programme, which is geared towards road safety awareness for all road users and not just drivers.

Owner and Managing-Director of Hard Knock Life Promotions, Jermaine DeFreitas, told the Guyana Chronicle that the ‘Major Stops’ campaign will be an annual event.
He said that in order to make the initiative a success, Hard Knock decided to join forces with the GNRSC, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure and the Guyana Police Force.

He said that come April 28, during Road Safety Month,the group will be hosting their first event at the National Park. The cost to enter the event, which will feature some of Guyana’s finest DJs, will be $1000. And to add to the excitement, there will also be DJs on hand from Barbados to entertain the public.

DeFreitas said the reason they chose the entertainment industry to get their message across is because it is one of the most popular mediums of doing it. He said the gameplan is to start with Region Four, and as the campaign gathers momentum, move to Berbice, Essequibo and Linden.

Ms Romona Doorgen of the GNRSC told the Guyana Chronicle that she is excited to be part of the event, primarily because of the novelty of using DJs to spread the word.
She made the point that once the DJs are educated about road safety, the public will become more aware of the importance of adhering to the rules.

Traffic Education Officer Alfred Park shared with the Guyana Chronicle that he came to endorse the initiative, because he thinks it is a wonderful idea that will help enhance road safety, especially among young people.

Popular DJ Devon, who is also a part of the GNRSC launch of ‘Major Stop’, shared with the Guyana Chronicle that as a driver, “we all know it is very relevant presently where accidents are concerned.” He said that as entertainers, he and the other DJs on board the campaign have been given the task to educate youths, based on the fact that they are well-known to people.

He also advised persons to have a designated driver if they will be partying and drinking. He concurred that the ‘Major Stops’ campaign is a good initiative, and as an entertainer involved in it, he fully supports it and is going to do his best to make sure that it’s a success.