Changing Guyana’s Driving Culture — Beyond Enforcement

Oct 31, 2025 Letters

Dear Editor,

Each week we read of yet another tragic road fatality. The usual explanations follow—poor lighting, stray animals, inadequate signage, and distracted pedestrians. These are all real hazards, but we must also confront the central issue: our driving culture.

The truth is that Guyana’s roads are not uniquely hazardous by design—they are hazardous because too many of us drive recklessly, with little regard for other users or for the well-known dangers that we encounter daily. Studies across developing countries show that driver behaviour— speeding, overtaking on blind corners, driving under the influence, and distracted driving—accounts for the majority of crashes. ¹

To its credit, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has visibly stepped-up enforcement in recent months, and this is welcome. But as every risk management and safety professional knows, enforcement alone cannot create lasting change. Sustainable road safety is achieved when engineering, enforcement, and education work together—and when citizens themselves embrace safe-driving as a social norm, not merely a legal requirement.

Guyana has a chance to break the cycle. Let us consider adopting one or more practical interventions already proven in other countries with similar challenges:

Pilot Safe-Driving Zones — Select a high-risk corridor (ECD Hwy/Rupert Craig or EBD Hwy), and not one of the newer road arteries that have sufficient data. Combine safety enhanced crosswalks, pedestrian-controlled lights, and speed-feedback signs with active enforcement and community education.
Public Data Transparency — Publish monthly crash and violation statistics so the public can see what behaviours cause the most harm, and where improvements are being made.
Private-Sector Safe-Driver Charter — Invite logistics, mining, and service companies to adopt measurable standards (driver training, telematics, speed governors) and recognise those that comply.
Education and Peer Influence — Encourage schools, churches, and civic groups to promote defensive driving habits and respect for pedestrians.

These are not new ideas—they have been discussed in these pages before—but perhaps the time has come to choose one, execute it well, measure it, and expand it. Our economy and population are growing fast; the consequences of inaction grow with them.

If we combine engineering, enforcement, education, employer engagement, and community ownership, we can begin to shift from a culture of indifference to one of accountability and care on our roads.

Yours faithfully,
Colonel (ret’d) Brian Chin
Magua Risk Consulting Inc.

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Brian Chin, Driving Culture, Letters, road fatality

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