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Home Affairs Ministry launches ‘Do the right thing’ campaign to curb fatal accidents
…as police record 93 road fatalities so far for the year
(Home Affairs Ministry launches ‘Do the right thing’ campaign to curb fatal accidents as police record 93 road fatalities so far for the year.)
Kaieteur News – Ninety-three persons have died on the nation’s roadways so far this year raising serious concerns about road usage. Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn on Friday said that his ministry is on a mission to reverse the deadly trend with the launch of a series of initiatives themed, ‘Do the right thing’.
Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn.
At a press conference held at his office, the Minister said that last year the Traffic Department recorded some 175 road fatalities.
“We were at 175 (deaths) last year and currently at this year, we thought that we would have achieved what we achieved in 2021 and 2022, practically a 100 or just below 100 in terms of road deaths. Unfortunately, given the current trend, we are not happy at the current rate that we are seeing and there is a suggestion that the road fatalities may be of the order of 120 if we carry on at the rate we are moving at the moment,” he expressed.
The minister noted that the United Nations’ (UN) Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021 – 2030 has set the target that by the end of 2030 road deaths and serious injuries should be reduced by 50 percent.
“At the current, we will not achieve that,” the minister announced.
Kaieteur News understands that for the road fatalities recorded, speeding is deemed the main cause based on the police statistics, with drinking and driving follows closely behind. Police statistics shows that pedestrians and motorcyclists are mostly involved, while young men mostly between the ages of 18 and 30 are mostly involved in these accidents.
The ministry said that persons continue to drive without using safety equipment, having patience and tolerance. Minister Benn alluded to the significant increase of vehicles on the country’s roads and noted that the Guyana Police Force (GPF) needs to work closely with the Ministry of Public Works to ensure that road users comply with regulations.
“We have to engage the Ministry of Public Works to increase the stripping and markings on the roads and get some of the inactive traffic lights working,” he mentioned.
Further, the minister disclosed that efforts will be made to amend the existing legislation.
“We will be putting in some measures with the police where they would be boosted, we are trying to get more people out on the road with them including people who would volunteer and help with traffic duties, we have talked about increasing fines, we intend to put the proposal again to increase fines, we intend to increase the number of ticketable offences, so that we could bring a big move on the situation for improvement,” Benn told reporters.
The Home Affairs Minister made it clear that the ‘Do the right thing’ campaign is geared at getting road users to use the roadways safely.
Home Affairs Ministry launches ‘Do the right thing’ campaign to curb fatal accidents
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