The Alliance For Change (AFC) wants the 2 am curfew that was imposed under the former APNU+AFC Government to be reinstated.
The call was made by the AFC’s past leader and former Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan during a press conference on Friday.
“The AFC advises that the 2 am curfew which was in place under the coalition Government be reinstituted. It would have avoided so many deaths on our roads,” Ramjattan said.
The 2 am curfew was often relaxed during the holiday periods when there would be higher-than-usual alcohol consumption among persons – thereby defeating the intended purpose of the curfew – that curbed road fatalities, especially those caused by drunk driving.
AFC’s current and former leaders: Nigel Hughes and Khemraj Ramjattan
Moreover, the curfew was widely criticised as being anti-business. Meanwhile, statistics released by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) reveal that from January 1 to July 23, 2024, a total of 55 road fatalities were recorded.
This is in comparison to 72 during the corresponding period last year.
Correspondingly, the number of deaths resulting from these accidents also dropped from 82 in 2023 to 66 this year.
The government has already enacted modern laws, aimed at instituting stiffer penalties for driving under the influence as well as the sale of alcohol to drivers. However, enforcing laws against drunk driving continues to be a major challenge for the police.
The organisation had reported recording 41,358 Driving Under the Influence (DUI) cases from January 1 to April 22, 2024. Of these, 449 cases were taken to court, resulting in 153 convictions.
