OUR WAY OF DRIVING

Jul 11, 2018 Editorial

The culture of a country, the way its citizens think, act, behave and do things reveal in many ways the kind of country. Culture is sometimes like a hidden agenda, a silent language, a secret handshake or a clandestine gathering, known only to those involved or born into it.
A country’s culture could be mysterious to outsiders. A classic example is people in other countries are not aware of the uncultured way most of us drive in Guyana and the reckless manner in which pedestrians use the roads. The general attitude of pedestrians and drivers is different from most other countries. Pedestrians of all age groups, regardless of gender and ethnicity unwisely tend to disregard the traffic signs.

Some drivers would reduce their speed on sighting a pedestrian attempting to cross a street; other drivers would see it as an incentive to increase their speed. It is like waving a red flag at a bull. This type of behaviour is common throughout the country and is responsible for almost 30 percent of road fatalities and 42 percent of all traffic accidents in the country. However, good drivers will stop and beckon the pedestrians, especially the elderly and children, to cross safely. Another common experience in Guyana is that most motorists suffer from road rage very easily. Road rage has taken its toll on different drivers for different reasons, such as being in a traffic jam or if a fellow driver breaks the traffic rules.

Guyana has its own style of drivers with unique skills to help them navigate the relatively narrow streets in Georgetown and in other towns and villages. Most speeding drivers, including mini-bus and taxi drivers are peeved if a slow moving car is in front of them and they cannot overtake it on the other lane, because of the presence of another vehicle. They will use the vehicle’s central warning device, the horn and create a loud and deafening sound. In a country where bad driving is almost a way of life, and gets a lot of media coverage, the vexation blast cannot be ignored when traffic grinds to a halt. Drivers become frustrated and most will use the horn to vent their frustrations, along with a few choice words that could be disturbing to hear.

In the United States, the blowing of horns is rare, except for New York City, Los Angeles and a few others. This is true for Canada, and most countries in Europe. In Guyana, the blowing of horns is part of everyday life. Some drivers even blow their horns to say hello to friends and relatives. Without a good horn, the road system in Guyana probably would not work and more accidents and deaths may likely occur. However, it is prohibited to blow horns around the law courts in Guyana.

Driving in Guyana can be potentially hazardous, especially on the highways where most drivers tend to ignore the traffic laws. Caution should be exercised at all times while driving in Guyana at nights, especially outside of Georgetown. Most of the highways are not properly lit; some drivers do not lower their high beam lights; and livestock, horses and stray dogs sleep on the roads.These elements on the roadways have led to traffic accidents and deaths.
According to the World Health Organization, traffic fatalities in Guyana account for 27.5 percent of total deaths in the country and Guyana ranks fourth in the world in terms of traffic deaths per capita. While the road conditions in Guyana differ significantly from those in the United States, based on a population ratio, the rate of traffic fatalities in Guyana is higher than in the United States.

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