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President distressed at `insane’ rise in road deaths

-calls for observance of police code of behaviour

SN file photo of a fatal accident.
SN file photo of a fatal accident.

President David Granger today said that he was deeply distressed by what he said was the “insane” rise in road fatalities and called on members of the public to observe the Guyana Police Force’s code of behaviour.

 

 

In a statement, the President said that twenty-one persons, including three children, died as a result of 15 road accidents in November.

 

He added that 114 persons, nine of whom were children, were killed in ninety-seven road accidents so far this year.

 

The statement by the President follows:

 

 

 

The deaths, disabilities and injuries and damage to property caused by accidents on our roads are deeply distressing.

 

I extend the sympathy of my Cabinet and Government to the relatives, families and friends of those who have been killed or injured as a result of road accidents. I wish the survivors a speedy recovery.

 

Road accidents represent a threat to human safety. Every accident is one too many; every death is too great a loss that our country cannot afford. The record is grave:

–         Young persons between the ages of 16 and 42 years comprised more than three out of every five fatalities.

–         Twenty-one persons, including three children, died as a result of 15 road accidents in November.

 

–         One hundred and fourteen persons, nine of whom were children, were killed in ninety-seven road accidents this year.

 

This insane increase in road fatalities has been caused, mainly, by persons driving at excessive speeds; driving under the influence of alcohol; driving without due care and attention (or inattentiveness) and driving on roads which are congested or unsafe for other road users, particularly pedestrians, thirty of whom were killed.

 

I had proposed a three-point approach to road safety in my address at the launch of Road Safety Month, on the 4th November 2015. The three-point approach involved:

–         more stringent enforcement of our traffic laws including those proscribing driving under the influence of alcohol, playing distracting music and the use of cellular phones while driving; stricter enforcement will help to promote greater safety on the roads; regular and rigorous patrols of notorious, high-risk zones must be conducted during daylight and at night; speed limits and limitations on the lawful complement of cargo and passengers by commercial and public transportation vehicles, must be established;

–         greater road safety education through a systematic and sustained countrywide campaign must be conducted; the drivers’ licensing process must be strengthened to ensure that only competent and responsible persons are certified to drive vehicles, especially passenger vehicles, on roadways; passengers, themselves, have a primary interest in their own safety and should ensure that the vehicles in which they are travelling are not overloaded, speeding or playing excessively loud music; and

 

 

–         improved engineering solutions to ensure safer roadways, many of which were never intended to be highways or public roads; some must be “re-engineered” for safety by clearer signage and markings, including conspicuous pedestrian ‘zebra’ crossings and lane lines which must be visible on all roads; sidewalks, pavements and overpasses, where possible, must be installed to ensure pedestrian safety; no-parking zones and bus stops must be marked; traffic signals should be maintained in working condition and traffic policemen must be deployed at high-risk zones to deter lawlessness and direct the safe flow of traffic on urban and rural roadways during peak hours and, particularly, during the most deadly days and nights – Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

 

I urge all road-users to observe the Guyana Police Force’s code of behaviour – care, caution, consideration, common sense and courtesy – as they drive on our roadways.

 

I am confident that the Government, Police Force, non-governmental organisations – such as Regional Road Safety Associations – and civil society could combine their efforts to make road use safe for everyone.

 

Replies sorted oldest to newest

This site is a reflection of the general Guyanese attitudes giving rise to road accidents/deaths.  No one respects rules!

Even our resident Rumjhatt, Ray, cannot seem to rein you people in!

Baseman

Sad to say, it is a reflection of the government lack rules of the roads enforcement. Yes, the people are DUMB asses, many BUY their driver licence.

This goes back to my days in Guyana, with over load hire cars speeding to catch the ferry . I remember one hire car driver called SCRAPER, he never refuses a passenger, but would bribe the traffic cops. The need for detail driver examination, more severe penalties for speeding, cops caught taking bribes must be jailed.

 On the other hand some of the roads are terrible , with sharp turns. Have speed traps, reward police for issuing more tickets.

K

The value of human life and road safety

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THE recent deadly accidents on our roadways are of tremendous concern to everyone. Safety continues to be a pressing problem as there is an accident almost daily on our roadways due to reckless and lawless driving.

There is no denying that ours is a country where road usage by vehicles is becoming more and more dangerous and catastrophic. With the advent of an increase in newer vehicles, and recognising that our roads are not up to standard or capable of handling such traffic, there needs to be a regulation of speed based on the condition of roads, the pedestrian traffic, and the number of residents living there. Conditions can incorporate types of roads, rain, standing water, flood areas, etc.

The problem has become more complex as we struggle with the significant increase in the number of vehicles which outstrips the increase of road networks. This is one of the serious dilemmas in countries where there is continuous economic growth and improved living standards.

In our case, the rate of accidents is extremely high and per capita we are the country with the highest number of accidents.
What is most disturbing is the fact that most road accidents are preventable; they simply occur because road users do not adhere to traffic rules. While some blame must be placed on the police force for this unfortunate state of affairs, it must at the same time be borne in mind that it is impossible for police officers to be everywhere at the same time. It is the duty of all road users to adhere to traffic rules and to act responsibly when using the roadways.

No matter how many police officers patrol our roads, accidents will continue to happen at an alarming rate if road users do not obey the rules of the road and act in a responsible manner; so the fundamental issue is that road users have safety on our roads in their hands. The agonising loss of life, limb and property in Guyana and globally cannot be over emphasised and this has to be stopped now, because the trend is indeed a frightening one. One shudders to think what our country would become in a few years time if this trend continues.

A 2013 study by the World Health Organisation (WHO) shows that nearly 3,400 people die on the world’s roads every day. Tens of millions of people are injured or disabled every year. Children, pedestrians, cyclists and the elderly are among the most vulnerable of road users. WHO works with partners – governmental and non-governmental – around the world to raise the profile of the preventability of road-traffic injuries and promote good practices related to helmet and seat-belt wearing, not drinking and driving, not speeding and being visible in traffic. WHO adds that about 1.24 million people die each year on the world’s roads; and between 20 and 50 million sustain non-fatal injuries. Young adults aged between 15 and 44 years account for 59% of global road-traffic deaths.

The report shows that road-traffic injuries remain an important public health problem despite progress in a number of countries. To reduce the number of road-traffic injuries, the pace of legislative change and enforcement needs to be hastened and more attention paid to vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians, cyclists and motor cyclists. Apart from the actual deaths, injuries and suffering, accidents also put a tremendous financial squeeze on the public health care system and depletes a country’s human resource capacity. It is therefore of absolute necessity that no effort be spared to minimise the unacceptable number of accidents on our roads.

Unlike what some are wont to believe, the problem is not exclusively one for the government. On the contrary, road safety is everybody’s business and it has to be tackled from every possible angle and level. Therefore to begin, drivers must be better trained and educated in road usage; traffic education should be intensified in schools and other educational institutions and at the community level; traffic laws and regulations and penalties need to be periodically reviewed and amended if necessary, and of course road networks have to be modernised and expanded to cope with increasing volumes of traffic. With regard to the latter, availability of finance would be a key factor, but with the trend in Guyana this is becoming an imperative.

Not all accidents can be avoided, but there are too many that occur that could have been. Driving can become routine, but what persons fail to realise is that while many routes we take may be the same, the situation never is. As such, vigilance must be exercised on the part of both authorities and drivers; the 5 Cs must become a mantra, and the value for human life must be a top priority when getting behind the wheel.

K
kp posted:

President distressed at `insane’ rise in road deaths

-calls for observance of police code of behaviour

President David Granger today said that he was deeply distressed by what he said was the “insane” rise in road fatalities and called on members of the public to observe the Guyana Police Force’s code of behaviour.

Soulja Bai probably saying to the Jhaatttt...

" Yuh prappa stoopid as yuh pick yuh nose all dee tyme".

https://guyanatimesgy.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/granger-an-ramjattan.jpg

FM
Baseman posted:

This site is a reflection of the general Guyanese attitudes giving rise to road accidents/deaths.  No one respects rules!

Even our resident Rumjhatt, Ray, cannot seem to rein you people in!

Bai, dat is wan nice binni deh. Did yu get sheh permisshun tuh use sheh picture? 

FM
ksazma posted:
Baseman posted:

This site is a reflection of the general Guyanese attitudes giving rise to road accidents/deaths.  No one respects rules!

Even our resident Rumjhatt, Ray, cannot seem to rein you people in!

Bai, dat is wan nice binni deh. Did yu get sheh permisshun tuh use sheh picture? 

That's a washroom photo.

K
kp posted:
ksazma posted:
Baseman posted:

This site is a reflection of the general Guyanese attitudes giving rise to road accidents/deaths.  No one respects rules!

Even our resident Rumjhatt, Ray, cannot seem to rein you people in!

Bai, dat is wan nice binni deh. Did yu get sheh permisshun tuh use sheh picture? 

That's a washroom photo.

I doubt it. I have seen her making comments on the FB Globespan shows.

FM
ksazma posted:
kp posted:
ksazma posted:
Baseman posted:

This site is a reflection of the general Guyanese attitudes giving rise to road accidents/deaths.  No one respects rules!

Even our resident Rumjhatt, Ray, cannot seem to rein you people in!

Bai, dat is wan nice binni deh. Did yu get sheh permisshun tuh use sheh picture? 

That's a washroom photo.

I doubt it. I have seen her making comments on the FB Globespan shows.

I don't know about that, unless she has an identical twin.  My dad was in Nigeria to learn to plant coconuts and me and her linked up on 23 & Me!

Baseman
Last edited by Baseman

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