Driving in Guyana is very dangerous – US State Dept.

Jul 07, 2011 News

– vehicles, pedestrian and animals compete for road space

Given the spate of accidents reported in the city, the State Department of the United States of America has concluded that traffic accidents are a major concern in Georgetown, since road and driving conditions are very poor.
In a damning report on crime and safety in Guyana, the State Department said that the local police only sporadically enforce local traffic laws, and local drivers often drive recklessly.
But while the US State Department has focused mainly on the capital city, where most of the accidents occur, a significant amount of fatal accidents occur in other parts of the country, especially the interior.
So far this year, the Police Traffic Department has recorded 59 fatalities resulting from 57 accidents compared with 55 deaths from 56 accidents for the same period last year.
“Stop signs and traffic signals are often treated as suggestions only,” the State Department report stated, while advising persons to be very cognizant of other cars, large commercial vehicles, minibuses, horse drawn carts, bicycles, mopeds, scooters, motorcycles, stray dogs, sleeping animals, and free range livestock, as they all share narrow, poorly maintained roads.
The report pointed to a combination of very aggressive experienced drivers, along with inexperienced, timid drivers makes driving in Guyana especially dangerous.
Driving at unsafe speeds, reckless driving, and tailgating, quick stops without signaling, passing at intersections, and passing on crowded streets is commonplace, the report stated.
Additionally, driving at night poses additional concerns as many roads are not lit, drivers frequently do not lower high beam lights, livestock sleep on the road, and many pedestrians congregate by the roadside.
“If you are involved in an accident, you are expected to stay at the scene until the police arrive to take a report, unless there is an imminent threat,” the US State Department advised.
Traffic Chief Neil Semple was unavailable to respond to the State Department observation when this newspaper contacted his office yesterday.
However a senior traffic rank said that he agreed with almost all the points raised in the report.