As Guyana observes Road Safety Month 2015, it has been pointed out that much more needs to be done to enhance road safety in the country. The theme for the month of activities is “Be wise, stay alive. Stop speeding, don’t drink and drive.”

In giving his assessment of the usage of the road by Guyanese after living in Guyana for approximately two years, Assistant Secretary General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Dr Douglas Slater said “Guyanese pedestrians are the most troublesome I have come across.”
He said while motorists are often blamed for reckless driving, pedestrians ought to act responsibly when using the road. “Most people blame the motorists, and yes motorists have a lot of blame to take. But it seems to me that Guyanese pedestrians do not walk on the sidewalks that are available to them.”
In addition to the need for pedestrians to act responsibly, Dr Slater said peddle cyclists also appear to be problematic, noting that they have developed a practice of riding in the nights without light or reflectors that pose serious threat to themselves. Another area of concern, he said is the need to control stray animals on the roads.
Nevertheless, the CARICOM Assistant Secretary General committed the Secretariat’s support to helping Guyana in the promotion of road safety, thereby reducing the number of persons who die each year as a result to road accidents. “There are social and economic impacts of road accidents,” he said, adding “we are talking about the disabilities, the cost to the health care system, the cost to all of us as road users and motorists because our insurance premium goes up.”
Meanwhile, PAHO/WHO Country Representative, Dr. William Adu-Krow said the use of cellular phones while driving must be added to the list of contributing factors that lead to road accidents in Guyana. Alluding to the issue of driving under the influence of alcohol, Dr. Adu-Krow said this is a major concern but said this problem is not limited to Guyana. ““The consumption of alcohol even in relatedly small amount increases the risk of being involved in a crash for motorists and pedestrians.”
According the World Health Organisation (WHO), approximately 1.25 million people die each year as a result to road traffic crashes while road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death among young people between the ages 15-29. Notably, 90 per cent of the world’s road fatalities occur in low and middle income countries like Guyana, even though these countries have approximately half of the world’s vehicles. Half of those dying on the world’s roads are “vulnerable road users”: pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.
According to the WHO, without action, road traffic crashes are predicted to rise to become the 7th leading cause of death by 2030. As such, the newly adopted 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’s has set an ambitious road safety target of halving the global number of deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes by 2020.
President David Granger, during the launch of Road Safety Month last week, said Guyana’s remains committed to the UN resolution. He has since proposed a three-point plan to reduce road accidents but more importantly road fatalities on Guyana’s roadways. In the plan, emphasis will be place on Enforcement, Education and Engineering. (Svetlana Marshall)