Latest update April 18th, 2025 8:12 AM
I don’t want to do wrong… I only want to save lives – says Traffic Chief
Traffic Chief, Linden Isles has made a decision to carry out breathalyzer tests on drivers leaving night spots.
Traffic Chief Linden Isles
Isles also said that regular patrols will be carried out at the popular entertainment spots across the city from 18:00hrs to 02:00hrs.
This move has gained its fair share of scrutiny after persons were led to believe that they will be stalked by police.
Some have said that they feel threatened by the fact that police will be monitoring them every hour. Others have also said that it is an offence to carry out patrols at bars and clubs in other countries.
But Isles made it clear yesterday that he is not in the business of targeting anyone; his drive and motive is only to save lives.
The Traffic Chief provided some startling facts to support his department’s decision. This year Guyana witnessed 99 road accidents which claimed the lives of 116 persons.
Out of the 99 accidents, 84 were caused by a combination of speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol.
Isles added that out of these 84 accidents, 52 occurred on weekends, the popular time to hang out at the various entertainment spots.
From many reports in the media, it can be noted that, especially in the month of November, that it has become a culture for at least one accident to occur every weekend.
Isles said that his fight is to decrease the number deaths, “not to target persons and charge them for offences”. The traffic chief said that too many innocent persons lose their lives because of a drunk driver.
However, his department hopes that the new initiative will save drivers and the innocent who many times are caught in the “crossfire”.
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