As people across the globe united for World Day for the Remembrance of Road Traffic Victims on Sunday, hundreds of representatives from various local bodies and organisations joined the founder of the Alicea Foundation, Denise Dias in a march to end the country’s road carnage.
Mothers in Black founder Denise Dias addressing a gathering remembering road traffic victims on Sunday
Dias, who is also the founder of Mothers in Black, spoke with Guyana Times at the end of the event, which was held at the National Park. She explained that stakeholders, including the Guyana National Road Safety Council, West Demerara Safety Association, and Guyana Police Force were all involved in the march to end fatal road accidents. She, however, stressed that more still needs to be done to end the scourge.
“All of us are involved; we just want to stop the carnage on our roads. Every third Sunday in November, every year, this is what we do, but we will be coming out here again soon because we want to build a monument in memory of our loved ones that [have] been killed on our roads,” Dias explained.
She also commended the efforts of the Guyana Police Force to curb drunk-driving, adding that to lose a loved one is a devastating occurrence.
Dias has long been an advocate against road carnage after her daughter Alicea Gouveia died 20 years ago as a result of a vehicular accident. The Alicea Foundation was formed in 1997, after which the Mothers in Black Organisation was started.
The annual march has been staged for the past 10 years.
