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Properly installed guard rails will reduce the overall impact of crashes

Feb 28, 2015 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
Kindly permit me to offer profound condolences to the grieving families and by extension the people of Guyana, for the teacher and six students of Augsburg Primary School who perished on the Burma Road.  What an end to a previously joyous Mashramani celebration at Novar!
In similar vein, to this end I am calling on President Ramotar and his Government of Guyana to give unwavering consideration to the calling of a National Day of Mourning. The circumstances surrounding the tragic demise are somewhat unclear, the only known fact and established fact being that the partially submerged vehicle was found in the trench. The accident did not take place at night and any rumours of alcohol ingestion and driving under the influence was quickly dispelled as the teacher was no imbiber.
Even the ranks remain baffled as to what could have been the contributory factor(s) to a tragedy of this proportion, for as they reported they had travelled the said road the previous day. Although seemingly not the time to seek answers to questions of this genre, yet they should be afforded consideration.
The teacher was driving a vehicle loaned by the father of Martina Persaud, one of the victims. Was there a misfit between driver and vehicle?  Was she fully familiar with the workings of the vehicle especially the brakes on roads that were far from easily navigable.
Like an intractable cancer, road safety issues continue to plague an already beleaguered nation. To treat the cancer when the primary source is somewhat obscure requires the utilization of other means of remediation or total eradication. Not for one moment can we overlook the possibility of human error as being the cause of accidents, but then again there are still safety measures that can be put in place to avert the repetition/ minimization of same or similar tragedies.
The answer or panacea lies in the installation of guardrails or handrails. Guardrails are structured to prevent errant vehicles from running off the road and going down a steep embankment or veering off the roadway. Properly designed and installed guard rails will reduce the overall impact of crashes that take place. In addition they can also be constructed in such a way that they consist of reflectors which can be used to guide vehicles traversing the roads at night.
Matters very little that this accident took place during the day, for vehicles use the road at any time, hence accidents can happen at any time.  Residents have stated that the Burma Road is in a deplorable condition, and this aspect may need to be factored in, as the vehicle has already passed the test of roadworthiness. Guard rails are meant to deflect and if properly installed will reduce the overall impact of crashes. Better or plainly put, they will help to keep the load on the road.
Incidentally, Mahaicony is gaining notoriety, particularly among those displaying mental sobriety. In 2012, in Mahaicony, prominent lawyer Vic Puran and his car were found in a trench. The Toyota Tundra was spotted, partly submerged in a canal, by a farmer who was making his way to his farmlands.
As a people we cannot afford to lose our young leaders of tomorrow, in such large numbers, and more ironical, losing at the same time and manner those who are expected to teach and guide them. May their souls rest in peace. May all efforts be geared towards improving the roads and ensuring a non-recurrence by whatever means it takes.
Yvonne Sam

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