Dear Editor,
Many motorists have officially turned the roadways in Guyana into designated sport tracks and are engaging daily in their own Grand Prix. I don’t know how rational I would be seen in stating that we have some of the most dangerous drivers and motorists on the roads in Guyana. Every day, carelessness, thoughtlessness, thrills, speeding, poor judgments and numerous near-missed accidents are the order of the day.
I, too, am a motorist on the road and I have seen some really stupid and senseless behaviours by drivers. Let us deal with overtaking. In Guyana, our drivers know no bounds when it comes to overtaking. They overtake in the most irresponsible manner, in ways that if it were not for cautious drivers, there would have been numerous smash-ups on the roads. Many drivers overtake two and three vehicles at one time. They overtake just before approaching and leaving structures such as the Canje Bridge and perhaps the Demerara Harbour Bridge. They overtake on the double and single lines. On numerous occasions I have seen motorists, myself included, pull over at the corner of the road just to give these drivers a way to pass.
Just recently, I was exiting a street in New Amsterdam and was making my way down Main Street, when just before my eyes a mad-man came speeding down, he didn’t even look to see that I was coming out of a street and the other vehicle was on the corner. He came within inches of my motorcycle. If I had not controlled my vehicle, it would have been nasty. I said a silent prayer to God that very second and prayed for the driver. Maybe he had nothing to live for, but I have lots to live for.
Many drivers are in a hurry on our roads, especially our minibus drivers. I have stopped travelling with minibuses, only if it is really necessary such as church outings, where we have carefully selected a driver. Otherwise, I travel in cars and feel safer in them. The minibus culture in Guyana is so repulsive and sickening. The attitudes of the conductors, quality of music—if that can be even called music—, inconsiderateness of drivers to stop speeding at passengers’ requests, the ‘doubling- up’ and ‘shifting-down’, the frequent movement sending passengers from front to back, sideways to front and back to front again just makes me sick.
Our transportation system in Guyana needs a great overhaul. Last August I wrote that we should modernize our transportation system by bringing back the big buses. That would not only reduce accidents but would afford passengers to travel in comfort and spare them the horrifying minibus culture. This I would like to see happen in the very near future.
Drivers no longer observe traffic signs, lights and pedestrian crossings. They signal each other on the road whenever there are traffic officers in the distance. They slow down and start speeding again just after they pass the police. It’s hypocritical and disgusting. The police need to employ smarter initiatives to catch speeding drivers. Forget stopping them to check for licences, it’s a waste of time. Catch the ones who speed, do not observe signs, lights, pedestrian crossings and the minibus drivers who overload their buses.
They don’t dip their lights, too, in the evenings. In 2003, I penned an article about this. The traffic laws state clearly that motorists ought to dip their headlights upon encountering traffic in the distance. We need traffic cops to be out in the night to catch these drivers too. Many of them have the white headlights, and these things blind other motorists on the road.
Drivers overtake on the busy Canje River Bridge and I saw one overtaking the other day on the Berbice River Bridge. All this lawlessness on our roadways is surely indicative of the poorly educated society we have. Educated people practice better road ethics and behaviour. They don’t behave like they own the road and they certainly don’t believe that they can play with people’s lives. Then, too, many of them have purchased their driving documents.
Life is valuable. One minute you’re here, the next you’re six feet under. Many of our motorists do not value life. Our illiteracy levels must be very high, since this is reflected in the way many of us conduct ourselves on Guyana’s roadways.
Yours faithfully,
Leon Jameson Suseran
