AS government continues to invest heavily in the public infrastructure of the country, as well as the implementation of systems to curb improper road use, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has recorded a 17 per cent decrease in fatal accidents for January to March 2022, when compared with the same period last year.

This disclosure was made at the National Road Safety Stakeholders Forum held on Friday, March 25, 2022.

According to the statistics presented, there were 20 fatal accidents with 26 deaths from January 1 to March 24, 2022, compared to 24 fatal accidents with 25 deaths for the same period in 2021.
The number of road fatalities has increased since Friday with three more deaths being recorded just this weekend.

For the year 2021, the traffic department has recorded the least number of fatal accidents for the past decade. There was a total of 87 fatal accidents, resulting in 99 deaths, three of which were children.

Statistics have shown that fatal accident figures exceeded 100 per year from 2015 to 2021, with 2017 being the year with the least number — 100 accidents with 115 deaths, including two children.

The year 2020 recorded the most accidents, 128 with 139 deaths, including five children.

Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn noted that minimising the number of road fatalities in 2022 was not easy for the GPF. He noted that major collaboration from other agencies in the form of public education and engagement played a pivotal role in promoting proper road use.

“It’s a 24/7 activity/job. I would acknowledge the efforts and the work, much of it volunteer work from the National Road Safety Council, in relation to being engaged in this effort and in partnering with the ministry, the government, the Guyana Police Force, particularly the traffic department,” he said.

SMART POLICING
In keeping with government’s vision to reduce road accidents and fatalities, as well as to improve the performance of the police force, President Dr Irfaan Ali recently disclosed plans to develop and implement ‘smart policing’ systems to improve the accessibility and efficiency of the force.

One of the major undertakings of the ‘smart policing’ systems is the implementation of a digital platform for ticketing, directly relating to breach of road laws.

This new system is expected to directly impact the way all categories of road users utilise the roadways.

The president disclosed that government has already started discussions with the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and intends to have this feature incorporated on all of Guyana’s major highways. This system will incorporate fixed-speed radars on main roads, so as to identify those who use the roads recklessly and to photograph these infractions.

The president noted that although this will be a costly investment, it is absolutely essential to stem the road carnage.

“On all our new highways, we are going to incorporate this feature where we can move towards digital ticketing and recognition in terms of speeding, in terms of seatbelt violations and so on; and that system must be automatically linked to the suspension of licence[s] and so on,” President Ali stated.

He added that with Guyana on a fast-growth trajectory, systems must be put in place to ensure the safety of Guyanese, visitors and persons interested in investing in Guyana.

“Aggregate investments, both private and public, are increasing; citizens are investing in new homes, cars and other personal belongings; businesses are expanding; those making these investments are doing so with the understanding that the country will boost security to protect them and their investments,” President Ali stated.

The efforts of the GPF are expected to see a significant boost this year with the government’s allocation of $4.9 billion to improve the operations of the force.

Of this sum, $2.5 billion has been allocated to expand the Safe City Programme beyond the boundaries of Georgetown. This investment will see the entire country being connected to CCTV cameras and monitored centrally, as well as at Regional Command Centres to be established across the country.

With the government’s plans to modernise the force, $120 million has been budgeted for the training of ranks in the areas of crime and traffic management, while additional ranks will be added to ensure greater coverage across communities.