In light of the recent spate of deaths on the roadways, the traffic department of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has made a special plea to road users particularly motorcyclists to be keen in their operation on the road.
The traffic department said it could not sit idly by while persons continue to lose their lives senselessly on the roadways.
Over the past few days, three motorcyclists lost their lives among a total of five road deaths. Traffic Chief Deon Moore said there is really no reason for persons to be losing their lives in this fashion. He said it is recognised that most of these accidents occur at midnight or any time after that hour. He said in three of the most recent deaths, the one at Goed fortune occurred at 3am while the one at Better Hope occurred after 11pm.
On Sunday, 27-year-old biker Cleon Perreira of Buxton, East Coast Demerara (ECD), died on the spot after he collided with a car just after 23:00h on the Better Hope Public Road. Early Saturday morning, another motorcyclist was killed after he was struck by a minibus in the vicinity of the Goed Fortuin Public Road, West Bank Demerara (WBD).
42-year-old Joseph James of Walter Terrace, West La Penitence, Georgetown, was returning home from a party when the accident occurred.
On Monday, police were called in to investigate the death of 50-year-old Feroze Khan of Yarrowkabara, Soesdyke/Linden Highway, who succumbed to injuries sustained in an accident on the Land of Canaan Public Road, EBD that morning. Khan was pulled out of his vehicle after it had collided with another and was taken to the Diamond Diagnostic Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
“These timings are when the road is not too congested, not so busy. The weather condition was not foggy or rain was not falling so the condition was not bad”. He said motorists need to drive at a speed that could bring their vehicles to a stop if a situation should present itself.
“At nights you should drive your vehicle at such a speed in accordance to the distance that you can see. If your vision is blurred, pull in a corner, if a light has blind you, pull in a corner”, the official pleaded. He said “it is better for you to wait a few seconds than to try to force to where you want to get and never meet there”.
Moore said so far for the year, some 15 motorcyclists lost their lives. At the end of last year there were 23 motorcyclists who lost their lives. He said the police had committed at the beginning of this year to see a radical reduction in the amount of lives lost on the road by asking them to wear their safety helmets.
“Many times you see them having the helmets, but having it strapped on the rear seat of the motorcycles. It is a dangerous practice. Motorcycle helmets afford you protection to your body in the event of any eventuality, for you to reduce the amount of injuries you would sustain”, the Traffic Chief said.
Revealing the traffic statistics. Moore said there has been a decrease in all categories of accidents, with 62 fatal accidents as against 83 this time last year, a 23 per cent decrease. In terms of persons dying as a result of the road accidents, this year saw some 68 as against 88 this time last year, a decrease of 23 percent. Six children lost their lives last year. So far for this year there has been only one.
