Road accidents have been reducing – Min Benn

-stricter legislation, increased fines to be implemented

Over the past few months, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has recorded a reduction in road accidents but an increase in fatalities.

To ensure that the number of deaths is minimised, the government through the Ministry of Home Affairs will be inspecting the legislation to review laws that can possibly be amended and implement other measures.

This is according to Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn during a press conference in the ministry’s boardroom at Brickdam, Georgetown on Friday.

“The situation is one which needs immediate response. We will be implementing and emphasising more measures with the help of the police. We have been talking about increasing fines and we intend to increase the number of ticketable offences,” the minister stated.

It will also be working with the Ministry of Public Works to better highlight the signage along the roadways and repair traffic lights at crucial intersections that have not been in operation for a while.

According to the minister, sensitisation sessions will also be held with the two main categories of people steadily involved in accidents: motorcyclists and lorry drivers.

Motorcyclists do not adhere to the use of safety helmets while lorry drivers participate in the reckless use of the road corridors.

Many of these drivers were found to be between the ages of 18 and 30.

Additionally, Minister Benn asserted that the ministry will not tolerate disrespect from commuters to police officers.

“At the current rate, we are going beyond the parameters which would suggest that we have to do much more to curb the situation. We have to implement a robust response which will not allow for this to continue,” the home affairs minister stressed.

While comparing the statistics of past years, he said that in 2020, 139 lives were lost due to road accidents, while 2022 and 2023 saw 99 and 175 deaths respectively.

As of three days ago, the GPF noted that a total of 97 persons lost their lives due to road accidents.

Based on these statistics it was determined that speeding, drinking, and driving are the main contributors.

Meanwhile, Traffic Chief Senior Superintendent Mahendra Singh stated that many of the accidents have been caused by other minor issues which could have been avoided by commuters.

“Although there is a reduction in these accidents comparatively, the volume speaks a lot about tolerance, patience, and no planning ahead of scheduled trips…The accidents deriving from the figures that we would have presented to you tell a story of vulnerability,” Singh pointed out.

He encouraged motorists and pedestrians to look out for each other when using the roads.