1738 traffic cases made out in 1 week

…468 charged, 1006 tickets issued

In the past week, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has reported that 1738 traffic cases were made across all regional Police Divisions in Guyana, as patrols and Police presence remain high on the country’s roadways.
Of the total cases, 468 were charged, 264 summons prepared, and 1006 tickets issued.
Traffic Chief, Senior Superintendent Mahendra Singh noted that, in an effort to complement the enforcement exercises, all regional divisions conducted daily empowerment lectures with students at schools, drivers along each route of travel, and even patrons at bars or restaurants to ensure the critical safety tips have a far-reaching effect.
This effort is ongoing with the intention of ensuring compliance with rules of the road based on an improved knowledge base and consideration for all category of road users.
These numbers reflect a decline when compared to last week, where an alarming 2247 traffic cases were recorded within that period. Some 652 cases of speeding and 55 cases for driving under the influence were among the cases made.
Apart from this, the GPF is also focused on orderliness. In the past few days, the Force’s Traffic Headquarters have continued their focus to ensure motorist do not leave their vehicles in dangerous positions in and around Georgetown. Some drivers bent on being non-compliant were rewarded with a wheel clamp and a ticket for the offence.
Thirty such cases were made, with tickets issued for each violation. This ongoing exercise will see areas such as the GPHC, which needs immediate entry/exit by ambulances and other vehicles arising from emergencies, given special attention and focus, the Force outlined.
In July, exacerbated fatalities and reckless use of the roadways led to the launch of a new campaign – “Respect the Road”. At that time, over 2000 persons were charged with ticketing offences.
Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken has said that ticketing has not been working, to some extent. Despite harsher penalties being meted out to defaulters, violation of traffic laws remains high. Speeding, driving under the influence, poor driver behaviour, distracted driving and inadequate infrastructure are some of the factors contributing to the alarming statistics in Guyana.
From weekly statistics, it has been observed that men between the ages of 18 and 42 make up the majority of traffic fatalities, or drivers behind road accidents. Trends also include recklessness on the part of motorbikes and e-bike operators, which accounts for an alarming fraction of accidents. (G12)