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175 road deaths recorded last year
Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn
Kaieteur News – Guyana recorded a 76.8% increase in road fatalities in 2023, with the toll rising from 99 in 2022 to a staggering 175.
The surge has prompted urgent action from the Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, who is calling on citizens to exercise caution and prioritise safety on the roadways. During his press conference on Wednesday, Minister Benn said, “We have had the situation with traffic and we have had an alarming increase in road traffic deaths.”
Addressing the rise in fatal accidents, the minister stated that the primary contributing factor identified was speeding, with a 110% increase in fatalities, rising from 61 in 2022 to 128 last year. Minister Benn announced that the government is set to introduce e-ticketing for traffic violations to curb dangerous driving behaviours. “We have been giving and we have to give out again helmets to motorcyclist. We have gotten just now a large number of clamps and we have to deal with people who are speeding,” Benn asserted.
He continued, “We want people to modify their behaviour and do what they can to protect themselves and protect others. We want to be able to point out and have people point out persons (like) minibus operators, taxi-drivers, and others who are doing unsafe things on the road.”
The minister acknowledged the large movement of construction materials on our roadway due to the development taking place in the country. “We are on the path still in making up the gap in terms of infrastructure for our roadways but people are required to leave early and arrive on time without the stress and worry of being involved in an accident,” Benn added.
A detailed analysis of the data reveals several troubling trends. Male drivers bore the brunt of the increase, experiencing a 79.2% rise in fatalities, while female fatalities increased by 64.7%. The age group most affected was 25-42 years old, comprising 43.4% of all fatalities. Additionally, fatal accidents involving motorcyclists saw a dramatic 166.7% increase. In an effort to address the rising road safety concerns, comprehensive driver education and training programmes will be implemented.
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