Roundabouts in driver’s ed, but some motorists still flouting rules – Traffic Chief

The driver’s education curriculum has been updated to cover roundabout navigation, but some motorists continue to deliberately violate the rules, says Traffic Chief Mahendra Singh.

Contacted by this publication on Tuesday, the Traffic Chief confirmed that with the country’s evolving road network, including the addition of more roundabouts, drivers are now being taught how to properly navigate them.

“The theoretical content in our manual for drivers or prospective drivers, it contains all information, reference, conformity to signage.

It speaks to our yield, it speaks to our stop, it speaks to everything, our left or right turn,” he said.

“The question really what I ask is that, why is it that a driver who is certified, competent, having undergone the theoretical and practical aspects of being a driver, is still lacking? Is it that he is lacking because he doesn’t know, or is lacking just because it’s intentional?” he added.

Last year, Traffic Officer Ronald Payne, during a programme called ‘Road Safety and You’ had highlighted that many drivers seem unaware of basic rules governing roundabouts.

Meanwhile, according to the Traffic Chief, the various issues on the roadways are as a result of the culture among Guyanese drivers.

“It has nothing to do now with the police teaching, the police manual, how up-to-date the manual is. Remember, our population of drivers now is now made up of local, foreign and regional people…And there isn’t so much of an accident with a foreigner or regional person,” he pointed out.

In this regard, he emphasised that drivers must recognise that they have an important role to play in guaranteeing road safety.

Meanwhile, the Traffic Chief noted that the driver’s education programme has been digitised to eliminate opportunities for individuals to fraudulently obtain licences.

“Since the year 2022, the Government of Guyana by the Ministry of Home Affairs by the Guyana Police Force would have the entire theoretical driver programme digitised, it’s internet supported. So this now adds integrity to the process and the allegation that a license could have been sold on a racket without a procedure followed, that is totally out of the order now,” he said.