Vehicles parked in dangerous manner around GT clamped

Within the course of two days, several vehicles parked dangerously across Georgetown have been clamped as part of the current enforcement campaign undertaken by the Guyana Police Force.
On Thursday, September 14, between 09:00h and 12:00h, Traffic Headquarters ranks of the Guyana Police Force conducted an enforcement exercise against motor vehicles parked dangerously and causing obstruction on streets in and around Georgetown.
Several vehicles were ‘clamped’, and eight tickets have been issued for ‘Leaving Motor Vehicle in a Dangerous Position’.
On Wednesday, between 9:00h and noon, Traffic Headquarters ranks also conducted an enforcement exercise against vehicles that were causing obstruction along several main roadways in Georgetown. During that exercise, several vehicles were observed to be parked dangerously on Camp Street, Georgetown. As such, wheel clamps were utilized, and 11 tickets were issued.
In July, exacerbated fatalities and reckless use of the roadways led to the launch of a new campaign – ‘Respect the Road’. At that time, over 2000 persons were charged with ticketing offences.
Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken has said that ticketing has not been working, to some extent. Despite harsher penalties being meted out to defaulters, violation of traffic laws remains high.
Speeding, driving under the influence, poor driver behaviour, distracted driving and inadequate infrastructure are some of the factors contributing to the alarming statistics in Guyana.
From weekly statistics, it has been observed that men between the ages of 18 and 42 make up the majority of traffic fatalities, or drivers behind road accidents. Trends also include recklessness on the part of motorbikes and e-bike operators, which accounts for an alarming fraction of accidents.
Earlier this week, in a bid to clamp down on recklessness on the country’s roadways, the GPF released a list of top offenders on the new Mandela to Eccles Highway in the past 90 days, where cameras capturing the speed of drivers have been installed. In one day, some 377 traffic violation cases were recorded. According to the Police, that number of cases included 165 for speeding and 15 for driving under the influence (DUI).
The Police have said that efforts have been intensified with a view to curbing poor usage of the roads by motorists, who are engaged daily in empowerment sessions by traffic ranks countrywide. (G12)