Road deaths up by 42% for 2020 – Home Affairs Ministry

The Home Affairs Ministry on Sunday reported that fatalities on Guyana’s roadways have increased by some 42 per cent between the period January 1 and September 14, 2020, when compared to the corresponding period last year.
In a statement today, the Ministry also highlighted that fatal accidents have gone up to 37 per cent during the review period when compared to 2019.

According to the Ministry, statistics show that motorcyclists are among the largest categories of road users killed for the year thus far while adding that road fatalities occur mainly on Saturdays and Sundays, between 18:00h and 00:00h, or midnight.
Further, while the stats reveal a decline of children involved in fatal accidents by 43 per cent, it, however, highlighted that these fatalities have greatly affected the youth population. In fact, the age groups of persons involved in fatal accidents range between 17-24 and 25-42 years old.
The Home Affairs Ministry noted that the Guyana Police Force’s (GPF) Traffic Department statistics show that speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) are the leading causes of fatal accidents on the country’s roadways.
To this end, the Ministry urged road users to refrain from speeding and drunk driving, noting that this is paramount to reducing road fatalities.
“Road traffic accidents and deaths are a major concern to us, since they affect individuals, communities, and the country at large. It depletes our human capital resources which by extension affects the economics and growth of our country. Therefore, we call on all drivers and motorist to desist from speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol on our roads, and to adhere to all road safety rules and guidelines, to help reduce the worrying high incidence of fatal accidents on our roads,” the Ministry posited in its missive.
On Saturday last, the police reported two road deaths. The first was 23-year-old Devanand Bansie, a vendor of lot 27 Mon Repos Railway Embankment, East Coast Demerara.
He was killed in a suspected hit-and-run around 02:00h just outside his home after returning from celebrating his birthday, which was on Friday.
Then around 15:20h on Saturday, 39-year-old Somattie Persaud, a fish vendor of Lot 75 Mandal Street, Zeeburg, West Coast Demerara, was riding a bicycle along the Zeeburg Public Road when she was struck and killed by a motor car after the driver fell asleep behind the wheel.