…says speeding, drunk driving responsible for 75% of fatal accidents
Over 75 per cent of the fatal accidents that occurred during the first quarter of this year are as a result of the combination of speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol.
Traffic Chief Linden Isles
This is according to Traffic Chief, Linden Isles, who told this newspaper on Monday that these tragedies could have been prevented if the parties involved had adhered to the traffic laws of Guyana.
“From our end, we continue to do educational talks, programmes, enforcement exercises and we will continue. Sadly, the issue of speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol is something that is within a culture of persons who naturally want to consume alcohol and then drive. And we all know it is a very dangerous practice because alcohol and gasoline do not mix,” he stated.
According to the Traffic Chief, no one person can stop or prevent all accidents from occurring but if the public along with traffic ranks work together then there can be minimised amounts of deaths on Guyana’s roadways yearly.
“We continue to urge members of the public, drivers, if they have to attend functions or social events, if they have to drive, don’t consume alcohol, don’t imbibe. If they have to imbibe, get a designated driver so that we can have control of the situation,” the Traffic Chief said.
Guyana Times was also told that there has been a drastic decrease in statistics with regard to children being involved in fatal accidents when compared to the previous year for the same period.
“We continue to do our educational talks to schools throughout the country. If you notice that most times you find with our figures that children, I don’t know if it [is] because of our road talks and these things, but we had a reduction, a vast reduction in children being involved in road accidents. We continue to do our road safety talks in schools.”
CCTV cameras
Meanwhile, in relation to the Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras that have been installed around key intersections, it was explained that these cameras are still serving their purpose despite being installed about eight years ago.
“Well, I would say the CCTV cameras in some areas are working, we still use them. We have been having successful prosecutions in various matters with the footage from these cameras. The Guyana Police Force monitors it 24/7 and the CCTV system is being monitored by our ranks,” the Traffic Chief added.
CCTV camera usage has also boosted crime-fighting efforts by enabling law enforcement ranks to track and intercept criminals.
Installed years ago and constantly upgraded, the closed-circuit camera system was initiated under the previous Administration.
At least 130 cameras were installed initially. (Kristen Macklingam)
