– speeding, drunk driving among causes

By Naomi Parris
DESPITE the implementation of a national curfew and the closing of bars and nightspots to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, Guyana has recorded an alarming increase in road fatalities for the year 2020.

At the launch of Road Safety Week 2020, held at Parliament Park, in Stabroek, Georgetown, Traffic Chief Senior Superintendent Ramesh Ashram disclosed that the country has seen a 37 per cent increase in road fatalities, with 115 accidents of which there were 125 deaths; out of those deaths, five were children.

In 2019, Guyana recorded 84 accidents which resulted in 94 deaths, of which eight were children. According to the senior cop, the Guyana Police Force through its traffic department was able to charge approximately 46,266 persons for not adhering to various traffic regulations.

Some 19,179 persons were charged for exceeding speed limits; 786 were charged for driving under the influence; 986 were charged for failure to wear safety belts and 1,924 were charged separately for breaching traffic light signals and using cellphones while driving.

Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill, who gave the feature address at the event, made a special appeal to road users.
“I am making a special appeal; drink one beer less when driving, make sure somebody else is answering the cellphone and please certainly no texting while driving and thirdly, let us slow down. Let’s get where we are going safely.”

Minister Edghill emphasised that all stakeholders must be part of the campaign to ensure that all road-safety protocols are observed in an effort to reduce the number of accidents.
“Road safety is not just the police business, it is not just the road safety council’s business, it is everybody’s business and while we are here marking the launch of [Road Safety Week], I join with all the stakeholders and I call upon all Guyanese, young and old, let us make road safety our business.”

The minister urged road users to be mindful and think of others while using the roads.
“Every life matters, life is precious and we don’t want our people, falling dying, being maimed, injured and remained [sic] permanently disabled as a result of careless and dangerous use of the roads.”

Additionally, Minister Edghill announced that the technical team at the Ministry of Public Works has been engaging the Guyana Society for the Blind to adjust traffic lights, allowing special sounds to be added in order to assist the visually impaired pedestrians in crossing the road.

“We are working assiduously, maybe not at all traffic lights, but especially at the main interceptions to put in, along with the light that changes, special sounds so that the blind will know when it is time to cross on the pedestrian crossing. We are working on implementing that; we have already done some research and we are pricing the technology.”