100% increase in road fatalities

Feb 22, 2023 News

…Home Affairs Minister concerned, urges stringent enforcement

Kaieteur News – There has been a 100 percent increase in the number of road fatalities this year in comparison to the same period last year, the Ministry of Home Affairs has reported.

Statistics show that for the period January 1 to February 18, 2023, 16 persons lost their lives when compared with eight persons in 2022. This represents a 100 percent increase when compared to 2022.

The Ministry of Home Affairs noted that pedestrian fatalities increased by 25 percent when compared to the same period last year while approximately 44 percent of motorcyclists were killed during the same period compared to last year.

“Comparative data has shown that as of February 18, 2023, 16 persons would have been killed on our roads as a result of 14 accidents, when compared with the same period for 2022 when eight persons died from 7 accidents,” the Ministry said while noting that it is alarming that in 2022, five of the eight persons killed during that period were the most vulnerable classes of road users (2 pedal cyclists, 1 motorcyclist and 2 pedestrians).

Additionally, at February 18, 2023, of the 13 killed the vulnerable classes accounted for 16 (2 pedal cyclists, 7 motorcyclists, 4 pedestrians).

Further, in the case of serious accidents, data provided shows that as of February 18, 2023, 41 serious accidents were recorded, while 39 serious accidents occurred during the same period in 2022, indicating a 5 percent increase in serious accidents in 2023 when compared to 2022.

Data also clearly indicates that fatal accidents occur primarily on Sundays and Fridays between the hours of 18:00 and 05:59, with male drivers accounting for 81 percent of all deaths.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said it has been able to reduce road deaths by 30 percent in 2021 and 2022 with less than 100 persons killed for the first time in 16 years.

“This achievement of the previous two years will be extremely difficult to maintain at the present rate of road fatalities,” the Ministry said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry said that a review of more measures to promote road safety is currently being undertaken through a collaborative effort by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Guyana Police Force, the Traffic Department, the Guyana Revenue Authority, and the Ministry of Education.

Subject Minister, Robeson Benn said that he has noted with grave concern the growing number of road fatalities this year and has urged Guyanese to exercise care and caution when using the road.

“This increase in road fatalities appears to be a daily occurrence, and the indications are that reckless driver behaviour, attributable to excessive speeds, driving under the influence of alcohol, driving without due care and attention (or inattentiveness), tailgating, and driving while tired is the common cause,” the ministry said even as it sympathises with those affected.

The Home Affairs Ministry said that there being effective preventative strategies make this situation all the more unacceptable.

“The five Cs’- Care, Caution, Courtesy, Consideration and Commonsense – taught at our driving schools seemed to have been forgotten or ignored altogether by many motorists.

Motorists are failing to observe the fundamental principle of safe driving, which is to maintain a safe braking distance and not exceed the required speed limits,” the Ministry said in a statement.

Notwithstanding, the ministry said that there is need for “stringent law enforcement” as it is unacceptable that Guyanese continue to die and be injured on the roadways.

“The Ministry of Home Affairs is continuously collaborating with stakeholders to develop a comprehensive action plan to reduce road accidents and fatalities by 50 percent by 2030.”

On November 7, 2022, the National Assembly passed the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill 2022 to promote and enforce safe driving while imposing much higher penalties for serious infractions.

The National Road Safety Council’s financial resources have been boosted from $3 million to more than $11 million, which will aid in the sensitization and reduction of road accidents.

The ministry said that through advocacy, training, and education, the ministry is committed to providing evidence-based road safety knowledge and awareness programmes to create a culture of safety among all road users and address high-risk behaviours among young adults and the broader road-using community. As part of corporate social responsibility, the ministry is encouraging private sector participation in augmenting national efforts to promote road safety awareness.

The Traffic Department has been intensifying efforts to prevent speeding on the roads, but despite these efforts, deaths on our roadways continue to be problematic. The PPPC government has been spending considerable sums of money to upgrade roads and highways, as well as installing lights and CCTV cameras at strategic points, which improve infrastructure and safety for all road users.

“The Ministry wishes to remind the public that there is no justification for not wearing a helmet or a seatbelt. An accident may occur at any time, but our safety and that of others should be prioritised over convenience, as the case may be. Not only is it the law to wear a helmet or a seatbelt at all times, but it only takes a few seconds to do so. We all have a role to play in the prevention of road accidents. It cannot be the responsibility of the Police Traffic Department alone,” the ministry stated.

• accidents, enforcement, fatal, Guyana Police Force, Ministry of Home Affairs