Public urged to snap photos, video clips of errant road users

The Guyana National Road Safety Council (GNRSC) is encouraging members of the public to take photos or video clips of motor vehicle operators who practise unsafe driving.

This is according to GNRSC Chairman Dennis Pompey, who noted that distractions in any mode of transportation could contribute to road accidents, which often result in death.

In this light, he appealed to citizens to take photos especially of public transportation operators who may be speeding, playing loud music and contributing to dangerous driving: “…you see some sort of distraction, speeding or what have you, you have your cellphone, just take a photograph and send it to the Traffic Department so they could see what is happening and they could deal with it.”

Pompey explained that photographic evidence was admissible in court, and thus can be used to assist in the prosecution of law breakers. He noted that in Guyana, it is considered against the law for public transportation to bear markings, play loud music, or carry overload as well as contribute to any other factor that may serve as a distraction.

Against this backdrop, Traffic Chief Deon Moore highlighted that during the early part of November 2016, an exercise was implemented to clamp down on minibuses with unnecessary markings.

“The road service licences which are issued to owners and drivers of minibuses clearly spell out that there should be no marking other than the colour code, the seating capacity, the identification number to be placed on these buses,” the Traffic Chief explained.

Earlier this year, Moore had told media operatives that while playing music is allowed in public transportation, a passenger has the right to object to excessive noise or to request that a song be changed if the content is viewed as unsuitable. Moore added that the driver was obligated to comply with the request.

Additionally, he had made it clear that external speakers and tweeters which persons install in vehicles are forbidden, since only the internal speakers which “come with the vehicle” are allowed.