Early this year, when they revealed the road accidents statistics for last year, the police had said that while there was a 5% increase in fatal accidents over the previous year, the number of deaths was the same; 115 people were killed on the roads in 2010 and another 115 were killed in 2011. And of the 115 deaths last year, 73 were caused by speeding and 18 by driving under the influence of alcohol.
If fatal accidents continue at the current rate, the police would be hard pressed to keep the number of fatalities at or below 115 this year – there were three over the last weekend for which the causes varied. On Saturday, May 5, fish vendor, Baldeo “Painter” Mohan, 50, was struck down and killed in the wee hours on the public road at La Grange, West Bank Demerara, the same village where he lived. Mohan had left his home around 2 am to travel to Goed Fortuin, a journey he usually made, to purchase fish to sell. It was reported that the driver who hit him was apparently under the influence of alcohol.
That same night, 16-year-old Elbert Thorne died some hours after the taxi he was travelling in with his mother plunged into the Sussex Street canal. The teenager, of Grove Housing Scheme, was in the front seat of the taxi with his seat belt on, when the driver, who was allegedly going at a fast rate on the defective Cemetery Road bridge, hit a pothole causing the car to topple into the canal. The youth spent some minutes under water before he could be rescued, and subsequently expired.
The next day, Sunday, May 6, 31-year-old Richard Smith of Barr Street, Kitty was reportedly speeding along the East Bank Demerara Public Road in the vicinity of Friendship when his vehicle hit a pool of water which caused him to lose control of it. The car ran head-on into a motor lorry coming from the opposite direction costing Smith his life.
In addition, there have been several fatalities in the first four months of the year. January’s road death victims included Orin Sobers, 49; Graydon Massiah; Ronville Roberts, 58; Balwant Mangru, 38; Morris Albert De Caires, 72; Komal Balkaran, 3; and Kenrick Boyce, 73. In February, those who died on the roadways included Mohamo Haimnauth, 27; Devon Romascindo, 28; Jude Thomas, 37; Deon Fernandes, 28; Terry Persaud, 35; Rabindranauth Ramlingam, 50; Quadir Arkhan, 25; and Joaodo Deus Silva, 46.
Savitree Chandra, 30; Vangaskar Ramcharitar, 20; Marvin Wray, 27; Shahabudeen Deepan, 46; and Carlyle Moe, 3, were among those who lost their lives in March. Meanwhile, April’s road accident victims included Reuel Roberts, 28; Wilfred Chung; and Rodwell Mercurius, 35.
Last weekend’s road deaths have set May on the way to becoming a tragic month, unless of course, the police traffic department reacts the way it usually does in the face of multiple fatalities. The road traffic campaign, perhaps targeting speeding, inattentiveness (using a cell phone while driving), failing to observe stop signs or driving under the influence, tends to see a lull in accidents. Despite this, however, campaigns are usually not sustained long enough to make a real difference, which is unfortunate.
Anyone who uses the country’s roadways, unless they are completely oblivious or are lawbreakers themselves, would observe several times in any one day, several drivers attempting the almost impossible on this country’s narrow streets and more often than not getting away with it. Drivers run red lights, ignore ‘stop’, ‘no stopping’ and ‘one way’ signs, force other drivers off the road, overtake on the wrong side, ignore double yellow lines, drive drunk, drive without licences and drive unfit vehicles, seemingly with impunity. To compound this, there are pedestrians, motorcyclists and pedal cyclists, who clearly feel that traffic lights and road signs do not apply to them. The problem is deeply entrenched and so anyone who dubs the roads lawless would not be in error. Add to this the potholed and defective roads and bridges, and it all spells chaos, to which officialdom can turn a blind eye with apparent ease.
This is why victims’ families must continue to agitate for improved infrastructure and lobby with groups like Mothers in Black for the upholding of, changes in, and enforcement of legislation that can reduce the carnage.
