By Naomi Parris
WITH Guyana recording a seven per cent increase in road fatalities so far for this year, the Ministry of Public Works in collaboration with Inter-American Development (IDB), on Tuesday, launched its highway safety video campaign at the East Ruimveldt Secondary School.

According to statistics from the Guyana Police Force (GPF), there were 78 accidents this year, which claimed the lives of 85 persons, 66 per cent of whom were children.
Those statistics reflect a seven per cent increase in road fatalities when compared to the corresponding period last year.

Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, in his address at the launch of the road safety campaign, made a special appeal to road users.
“Minibuses are not weapons of mass destruction, it is supposed to be modes transportation, whether it’s a truck, it’s a bus, a taxi, a private car, a motorcyclist, we are parents, we are brothers, we are sisters, lets treat everybody on the road with respect, show the necessary courtesy,” Edghill said.

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.
“Let us change this culture that a new road means an opportunity to show off what you got and let us get a mature approach to road safety,” the minister advised.

He added: “As terrible as it might sound, I don’t want to see a child on the road covered in a white sheet, it must not be you, it must not be your friend, it must not be your school mate or somebody from your community.”
Minister Edghill further appealed for a stronger reinforcement of traffic laws and road signs.

“We have to start enforcing [our laws], Guyana is not a country that lacks laws our problem is in the enforcement of those laws,” he said.
Country Representative of IDB, Lorena Solorzano-Salazar, in brief remarks, said the organisation will continue to collaborate on targeted projects and strategies to review and improve road safety laws.
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