With 16 fatalities in 27 days…Road Safety Month is second deadliest period for the year

Nov 28, 2014 News

It appears that ‘Road Fatality Month’ might be a more appropriate description for Road Safety Month, since,

Isaiah Khan

with three days remaining, November 2014 has turned out to be the second deadliest month for road users.
Statistics acquired from the Police Traffic Department showed that there were 16 deaths in 27 days in November, which is designated as Road Safety Month. Only August, with 22 deaths in 21 days, has had more road deaths.
According to figures acquired by Kaieteur News, there were eleven road deaths in January; eight in February; nine in March; eight each in April and May; 13 in June; 10 in July; 22 in August; 12 each in September and October, and 16 between November 1 and November 27.
A Traffic official observed that many of the victims had “killed themselves,” while in many of the other cases, the accused drivers were before the court. One of the incidents reportedly involved individuals who were drag-racing, while at least three other cases involved allegedly drunk drivers.
On November 10, 19-year-old Christopher Baichan was killed after being hurled out of the car in which he was travelling in the vicinity of Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara. It is alleged that the driver was drag-racing when the vehicle overturned.
Police said that the driver was subsequently tested positive for being over the legal limit for alcohol consumption.
At around 23.00 hrs on November 5, twelve-year-old Isaiah Khan of La Union, West Coast Demerara, was heading home after exiting a taxi when a speeding car struck him. He was killed instantly.
The child’s father, who witnessed the accident, alleged that the driver and other occupants were under the influence of alcohol, and that a policeman was in the vehicle at the time. Kaieteur News was told yesterday that the report is with the Director of Public Prosecutions.
A combination of speed and alcohol were also blamed for the death of 60-year-old carpenter Ramdolar Dhanraj on November 15 at Pearl, East Bank Demerara.
The elderly man was cycling on the East Bank Demerara public road when an out-of-control and lumber-laden truck

Ramdolar Dhanraj

crushed him. The driver was later charged for driving under the influence of alcohol and for dangerous driving. He was reportedly released on $300,000 bail.
The following day David Dhanraj, 38, of Greenwich Park, East Bank Essequibo, was attempting to cross a roadway, when he was struck and killed by a vehicle that was being driven by a police constable. The victim’s 70-year-old father, who was ailing, died the following day.
And a speeding driver is said to have killed six-year-old Shaheed Yusuf shortly after the child went with his father to buy ice cream.
Police had stated that the child, of Farm, East Bank Essequibo, was struck by a car when he ran from a yard at Parika onto the main road.
But his father, Mohamed Yusuf, alleged that he was holding his son’s hand while crossing the roadway when “a speeding driver knock the child out of my hand.”
There were also three fatal accidents last Sunday.
Dilchand Angad, 28, of Plantation Hope, West Coast Berbice, a contractor, was riding an unregistered CBR 500 motor cycle at a fast rate of speed near No.10 Village, when he lost control and collided with a truck.
That same day, Alden Straker, called “Carly” was riding a motorcycle some four miles from Bartica when it was alleged that he collided with another motorcyclist. Straker sustained a fractured skull. And Deowraj Doodnauth, 76, called ‘Daniel’ of Lot

165 B No.68 Village, Corentyne, was cycling home when a speeding car struck him. He was killed on the spot.

One thought on “With 16 fatalities in 27 days…Road Safety Month is second deadliest period for the year”

Action November 28, 2014 at 6:55 am

What is the speed limit in Georgetown and on the East Coast highways? This information should be readily available and visible, and if it is too high it should then be lowered, maybe 25 mph in Georgetown, 45 mph on the Rupert Craig’s highway, and 40 mph on the railway road.