[www.inewsguyana.com] – In response to a public outcry on road accidents, fatalities and traffic congestion, as well as based on its own concerns, the Ministry of Home Affairs convened a meeting on Thursday, January 2, involving the Guyana National Road Safety Council, the Guyana Police Force, the Guyana Minibus Association and the Ministry of Home Affairs to discuss these matters and to come up with recommendations on the way forward.
At the end of the meeting, it was agreed that special programmes are to be organised for young drivers in particular and night clubs are to be closely monitored by ranks of the GPF and greater use is to be made of CCTV footage to address delinquent drivers and road users.
The meeting was informed that the main causes for fatal accidents for 2013 was speeding, inattentiveness and drinking under the influence of alcohol.
The main victims are pedestrians with the involvement of private vehicles occurring between midday and evening hours and between evening hours to midnight on Sundays and Fridays involving young drivers between sixteen (16) to twenty-four (24) years of age and between twenty five (25) to thirty three (33) years of age.
In this regard, it was agreed that with this information in hand there should be more targeted enforcement by the Guyana Police Force and education programmes by the Guyana National Road Service Council.
“The GPF is to set realistic targets with a view to bringing down fatal accidents and road accidents in general. The meeting was informed that between 2010 and 2013 the Ministry of Home Affairs procured and delivered to the GPF eighteen (18) breathalyser machines with printers and four hundred (400) mouthpieces as well as twenty nine (29) radar guns,” a press statement from the Home Affairs Ministry noted.
The meeting analysed several recommendations recently advanced by the APNU and found them agreeable and implementable in principle.
These recommendations were assigned to various stakeholders for further consideration as regards implementation having regard to their respective capacities and competencies to do so.
It was further agreed that a National Conference on Road Safety will be convened early in the year bringing together all stakeholders in the campaign to uphold road safety throughout Guyana.
