Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jun 01, 2009 News
NEW AMSTERDAM, BERBICE – Some exercises have been stepped up and more attention is being placed on malpractices, in an attempt to reduce the carnage on the Berbice roadways.
So far for 2009, there were 12 road accidents with 13 deaths in Division ‘B’, which is higher than the figure for last year. Officer-In-Charge of Traffic, Superintendent Owen Trotz, on Sunday, said that speeding is the number one cause for accidents in Berbice.
“We are intensifying our speeding campaigns.”
This means that those in the habit of speeding, consuming alcohol then taking the wheel, using mobile phones while the vehicle is in motion and other unprofessional conduct on the roads should take heed.
The speed limit is 40 miles, or 64 kilometers in the outer areas, but in the towns it is 30 miles or 48 kilometers.
If drivers exceed what is stipulated by five to ten miles, a ticket would be given and anything above that, the driver would be placed before the court.
Under the ‘Operation Safeway /Zero Tolerance’ campaign, additional lectures are being held at schools, youth clubs and religious and social organizations.
When asked how much blame should be placed on the public for encouraging drivers to speed, Trotz responded, “the traveling public should change their attitude and demand that drivers do not speed and report the speeding driver to the nearest police station. Where traffic is concerned, every police is a traffic police…even Neighbourhood Police.”
There is also the practice where drivers speed in order to compete with other drivers to secure passengers.
Trotz said that from today, drivers would feel the heavy hand of the law at all costs.
According to the Officer-In-Charge of Traffic, the situation is being monitored, and with immediate effect, some traffic ranks at all levels, are to be re-located in both East and West Berbice.
Pedal cyclists are called upon to use the road wisely, thus, observing the road safety laws and ensure that lights or reflectors are used on their cycles.
Additionally, they must wear light colour clothing during the hours of darkness.
Generally, the Officer-In-Charge of Traffic is hoping that better sense would prevail on the roadways and many wrongdoings, by not only drivers but all road users, would be minimized.
According to an analysis, many of the accidents in Berbice take place between 15:00 hours and midnight.
Previously, the 17:00 to 23:59 hours was the period to watch.
“We plan to re-focus our campaign time. We will have increased patrols, both mobile and on foot, on the roads during peak hours, especially from 15:00 hours to midnight.”
The Traffic Officer is calling on secondary school students, especially those in New Amsterdam and some sections of the Corentyne, to desist from loitering on the roads, “Some of them wait on special buses, and when it gets late, the special buses will have to fetch overload to carry the amount of them.”
Starting today, campaigns will be launched to clamp down on pedal cycles without lights, bells and cyclists who tow on the handle bar among other things.
Training is to commence shortly for Traffic Wardens and with the re-commissioning of Felix Austin Police College Division ‘B’, some manpower would be added to the force.
Meanwhile, speeding was once again cited as the cause of Saturday’s fatal accident on the Corentyne Highway. That mishap placed 13-year old Ashnie Williams of Lot 39 Fyrish South and Salim Mohamed of the Corentyne in the road fatality statistics for Division ‘B’
Ravi Veerapen, who was said to be speeding, struck Ashnie Williams who was standing on the roadway.
Without loosing a beat, the vehicle then slammed into PKK 1997. This car (PKK 1997) spun around and struck Salim Mohamed, who was standing next to his vehicle, with the same motion, the vehicle ran across the road and slammed into minibus BHH 3451.
Ashnie Williams was pronounced dead on arrival at New Amsterdam Hospital.
Salim Mohamed died while being attended to at the same medical institution.
Veerapen sustained minor injuries was treated and sent away. He was subsequently detained and is in police custody.
Ernestine Hamilton, aunt of Ashnie Williams, said the child lived with her since her early childhood. As she re-lived the ordeal, she recalled that Ashnie Williams was standing on the Kilcoy Public Road awaiting transportation.
“A racing car came, and hit her. I can’t say how, but I heard that it was speeding and the child was in the corner and then it go and hit another person.” Williams’ uncle rushed to the scene and took her to the New Amsterdam Hospital.
“I think she died on the spot.” The child lived about a mile from where she lost her life. “She was waiting to get a vehicle to go to New Amsterdam. She was going to visit a friend around 4 pm. I
cried when I get the news because I did not expect such news. She was my beloved niece and a very good girl.”
The child was a Grade Eight student of the J.C. Chandisingh Secondary School on the Corentyne.
Today Ashnie Williams would have celebrated her 14th birth anniversary.
“She was excited all day (Saturday) because her birthday was tomorrow (Today). She had planned to invite and entertain some friends. We bought all the stuff and we were going to prepare them tomorrow (Sunday). We already bought her present…a formal outfit which she really wanted and other things. She saw them and was very happy.”
Ashnie Williams was the eldest of five siblings. Her mother resides in Georgetown.
“There is a vacant place in our home and hearts now.”
It was only last Sunday that Drupattie Indar, 33 years old, of Number Two Village in East Canje, who was returning from an excursion, lost her life on the Number Fifty-three Village Public Road.
At the time, the woman was traveling in the tray of an open back pick-up, PJJ 7697, owned by the Ministry of Home Affairs and attached to the Fort Wellington Police Station.
The driver, Narine Chattergoon, 44 years old, of Bath Settlement, who is the Chairman of Community Policing Group in Division ‘B’, was said to be transporting three persons in front and 15 in the open tray at the back. Police reports indicated that the vehicle was traveling in a northern direction at a fast rate.
Instead of being on the western carriageway, the driver was forced to drive on the eastern side of the road because of a bad patch on that section of the thoroughfare.
Nevertheless, the pickup ended up hitting the bad section and toppled twice before slamming into three stationary vehicles, including a tractor and trailer.
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