THE SAD REALITY ON OUR ROADWAYS

Oct 24, 2017 Editorial, Features / Columnists

What is happening to our country? Why are there so many accidents and deaths on our highways and byways? Who is in charge? And if those persons can show, rather than claim who they are, then they must step-up and aim to put an end to the continuing misery. It is obvious at this point that they have failed.
It seems that there is absolutely no leadership to address this recklessness. Road accidents have become the number two cause of deaths in the country. Many questions have arisen over the past few years regarding the role of government, particularly in light of the rise in fatal traffic accidents.
There is a misconception by many in the government surrounding politics and service. The truth is, while politics is about power, the practice of politics is primarily about service to country rather than to self. Governments should not be about serving the interests of the elites and those who govern. It should be about serving the people. And this was the unequivocal declaration by Mr. Granger when he was sworn in as President.
However, he must do more than talk. He must immediately take decisive steps. Traffic accidents and deaths should not be just a collection of statistical data, they should be acted upon with urgency to end the carnage. Whether the president would admit it or not, traffic deaths and accidents are among the myriad challenges facing his administration. The Ministry of Public Security and by extension the government should recognise the need for quick decisive action to tackle the problem. It is one thing to want to govern, but it is another to remove oneself from true dialogue and responsiveness to the needs of the people.
To some it may sound fickle, but a good place to start addressing this problem is to enable the safety of all road users by ensuring the roads in the city and the highways are free of dangerous potholes. Case in point… A head-on collision between a car and a paddy-laden truck on Number 59 Village public road snuffed out the lives of five persons.
As reported in the media, the accident occurred two Sundays ago and the five persons who perished were said to be heading to Number 63 Beach for an outing. While there were conflicting reports as to the cause of the accident, a police report clearly cited the huge pothole on the road as the probable cause of the accident that ended the lives of the car’s occupants. Unacceptable.
And as if we were not already sickened by that senseless tragedy, the accident last Sunday at Vreed-en-Hoop, in which two teens and a young adult were killed when their vehicle struck a utility pole, emphasises how important it has become for the higher authorities to place themselves firmly in charge of this state of affairs. Our nation can ill-afford to lose so many of its citizens in this manner.
It appears as though the Corentyne disaster could have been avoided had the Region Six authorities heeded several requests by the residents in the area to fix the huge pothole. Both the regional and central governments are known to act very slowly and bureaucratic red tape, coupled with incompetency, has caused them to act much slower.
Bad roads, reckless drivers and apparently indifferent powers that be, have left us with a situation that has rapidly spiraled out of control. It is becoming quite unsettling that we are so often being exposed to the news of grisly deaths on our roadways. Unfortunately, this has become the sad reality.

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