Every year, usually around this time, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) releases statistics on road accidents over the past year – and to the surprise of no one, it’s almost always bad news – the carnage has worsened on our roadways – more people are dead, dying or injured when compared to the loss of life and limb in previous years.
Over the past few days, more than eight persons have lost their lives and more than a dozen more have been injured as road fatalities skyrocket.
On Wednesday, acting Police Commissioner Nigel Hoppie revealed that “in terms of traffic [statistics], we have recorded a 21 per cent increase in fatal accidents which has resulted in 15 per cent increase in the road fatalities”.
The reasons for the high rates of road accidents are well known, and there is no need to rehash them here, except to say that while there are various factors which impact on road safety, there is little doubt that the single most important in a general sense is enforcement of the traffic laws. The Government has enacted the relevant legislation in relation to driving under the influence, loud music in vehicles, overloading, speeding, etc, but if the laws are not adequately implemented, they become useless.
In tacit acknowledgment of this fact, acting Police Commissioner Hoppie noted that “When we rolled out our Christmas plan, we featured heightened intelligence-led operations where ranks would be involved in emphasised foot, bicycle, vehicular, mounted, canine and marine patrols, and road blocks and traffic control, while maintaining vigilance in relation to the continued enforcement of the COVID-19 restrictions”.
According to the Top Cop, “We intend to learn from the challenges we have faced with the aim of improving our performance and building on our successes. We intend to improve on public trust and confidence.”
It would be interesting to find out how many of the drivers/conductors who are stopped for breaking traffic laws are actually charged and brought before the courts. It should also be mentioned here that, in some cases, Police Officers themselves are engaged in breaking the traffic rules; eg by speeding or driving under the influence, and hence are the source of some of the accidents we currently experience.
The perceived endemic corruption in the organisation, and the traffic section in particular, must be addressed in a systematic way, or we will not achieve the desired results.
We had also made the point before that Guyanese need to move away from the culture of disregard and irresponsibility in relation to using the roadways. The Education Ministry and other relevant stakeholders should examine the possibility of strengthening the school’s curriculum with the aim of increasing knowledge, skills and understanding among children and young people about the responsible use of our roadways. Similar efforts should also be made targeting the adult population, as they, too, are sometimes found to be irresponsible when using our roadways.
For a small country such as ours, we cannot afford to continue along this path. The number of deaths and disabilities as a result of road accidents is indeed very worrying, and something must be done urgently to bring a halt to the level of irresponsibility and recklessness on our roadways. May the Top Cop’s plans succeed.
