Enjoy the holiday season, but be careful on the roadways

As the old song says – Christmas comes but once a year – so let us enjoy this festive season. Ruminations extends greetings for a blessed holiday season to all of Guyana. The Christmas holiday season is when we put aside our differences, embrace each other and spread joy across the nation. Let us take some time off and appreciate the good things about our country. One good thing is the harmony we have during holidays like the Christmas holidays. While Christmas is a Christian event, the Christmas holiday season is a time when Guyanese of all religious backgrounds and all “walks” of life, from everywhere in Guyana, come together in harmony. So Ruminations wishes every one of our sisters and brothers a blessed and happy time.
In some ways, Christmas 2025 in Guyana is different from ones before. We note that public Christmas trees and decorations are across the country. At the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, in Georgetown, in every region, there are public Christmas trees which have become part of the celebrations. This year, the Christmas Market, beautifully decorated at the Kingston Seawall, is an attraction. Main Street’s Christmas Village is bigger and better. The cleaned-up and upgraded Stabroek Market Square, a work-in-progress, offers another attraction in Guyana for both international and internal visitors. In every region, we have one or more public Christmas trees for people to visit and marvel at. Many RDCs and NDCs in Guyana have begun to create a day for lighting the Christmas trees, a day when villagers come out to make the day special. In some ways, we have started a friendly competition where each region and each NDC compete to see who has created the best Christmas tree lighting event in the country.
But as we cloak ourselves in the joy and merriment of the season, let us not forget that there are those among us who need support. We commend the Government, the political parties, private sector entities, faith-based organisations and individuals who have been distributing toys and other goodies to children around the country. This Christmas, like ones before it, many Christmas parties for the elderly and for children are being held or have been held. This too is a special thing in our country. These are the things that have come to symbolise the spirit of togetherness in our country.
The Cheddi Jagan International Airport for more than two decades now has provided another level of flair for the Guyanese Christmas. From welcoming music, often with a steel band, visitors are greeted with Guyanese Christmas cake and drinks. The airport itself is transformed each Christmas with Christmas trees and decorations, and for 2025, the colour, warmth and festive spirit start visitors off with a spirit of a very special Christmas and holiday season. For Christmas 2025, the management and staff of the CJIA really have outdone themselves.
But Ruminations joins President Irfaan Ali in urging and begging citizens to be careful on our roadways. President Irfaan Ali on several occasions recently has highlighted the recklessness of drivers on our roadways. He is urging citizens to use the roadways safely by not drinking and driving and by not speeding. Ruminations thanks President Ali for highlighting this problem.
Guyana is not unique in that the holiday season sees a significant rise in traffic accidents due to increased congestion, more alcohol-impaired and distracted drivers, and people in a hurry generally because of shopping and going from event to event. This is particularly true on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, often resulting in serious injuries or fatalities from preventable mistakes like speeding, intoxicated drivers, tailgating, and lack of focus.
Vehicular traffic accidents are a major cause of deaths around the world. Global traffic mortality sees around 1.2 million deaths annually (around 15 deaths per 100,000 people). It remains the leading killer for ages five to 29, disproportionately affecting pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists in low- and middle-income countries, where 92 per cent of vehicular deaths occur despite safer rates in high-income nations. While overall rates are down, meeting the goal to halve them by 2030 requires urgent action, especially in developing nations.
According to the World Bank, Guyana’s road death rate is among the higher vehicular mortality rates in the world and is presently at the global average – 15 per 100,000 people. Prime Minister Brigadier Mark Phillips stated recently that Guyana had 574 crashes and 642 deaths between 2020 and 2024, including 24 children. The staggering statistics revealed by the Prime Minister are testimony to a road crisis our country can no longer ignore.
Guyana wants to change this narrative. It has set an ambitious national target: reducing annual road fatalities to fewer than 50 by 2030, a goal that is part of a new national safety initiative and one that will be partially backed by a World Bank investment. Last October, Minister Ashni Singh and World Bank Vice President Susana Cordeiro Guerra formalised financing for the Integrated Transport Corridors Project – a major upgrade of Guyana’s road network. The project aims to strengthen key routes across Regions Three, Four, Five, Six and 10, improving safety, climate resilience, and access to essential services such as schools, hospitals, and markets.
The President wants to change this national tragedy. It is why he has seriously begun to question whether drivers’ licences in Guyana are not corrupted. He announced a major crackdown on fraudulent driver’s licences, giving individuals six weeks to surrender illegally obtained licences or face prosecution, following a Government “post-audit” revealing significant systemic issues like more practical certificates issued than theory passes. This move aims to clean up the licensing process, introduce technology to detect fraud, and hold officials accountable, warning that those with invalid licences must come forward to avoid severe penalties.
This is the season for joy and merriment. Let us be careful on the road. Merry Christmas, all.