In the past six weeks there has been an increase in road accidents on the Essequibo Coast. More than four have occurred and with four fatalities. This week we asked the man and woman in the street along the Essequibo Coast what they thought was responsible for the increase in accidents and what they thought should be done to address the situation. Their comments follow:
Vishnu Jagarnath, businessman – ‘The mud that is usually on the road is a major issue. When the tractors come out from the rice fields and drive on the public road, the mud from the wheels are left on the road and in the rainy season it can cause the wheels of vehicles to slide. Concerning the accidents that have been happening so frequently, the police should be able to regulate the speed at which vehicles are travelling.’
Ranique Sulker, domestic engineer – ‘The world is coming to an end. Christ is soon to come and it is expected that these things will happen. The accidents that happened in the past 6 weeks are carelessness on the drivers’ part. Some of the drivers are young and inexperienced and they are being issued licences especially the rich ones who have families with connections and because of this, they do not go through the legal process of acquiring the licence. The police should have more traffic patrols at different locations along the coast. Drivers should be more serious about their lives and the lives of others.’
Mazel Blackman, retired head teacher – ‘I think that licences should not be issued to young persons. They should look at the age limit and I feel that the young drivers do not know the roadways and by not knowing the roadways, where there are bumps and with the speeding, this causes the accidents. The government should recruit more traffic police in this region at certain important points along the roadways.’
Charles Spellen, retired – ‘The young people are the ones mostly involved and we the seniors should guide the young ones so they can have an idea of how to conduct themselves. Nowadays it seems as though the young people have no regard for themselves much less other people and I think that is the main reason for the accidents that are occurring. We have to take some of the blame too because we need to guide the young ones. It’s about four generations that gone down the drain because we, as leaders, fail to teach them the little things that matter and how they should value their lives.’
Ken Fraser, sluice attendant – ‘While respect is due to the police for their hard work, I believe they should take more stringent measures against those who misuse the road. Drivers should be well trained and the traffic department should
be one hundred per cent certain that everyone especially the young people who have been issued with licences are going to take the necessary precautions as road users. Most of the accidents that occurred in the past 6 weeks involved drivers from age 19 to 30 and the traffic department should take some blame because these are the ones who are issued with licences. Everything in this world today involves speed. It’s a fast-paced world so everyone wants to keep up which often leads to a speedy death.’
Adelia Jonas, businesswoman – ‘I think that accidents could be prevented or they could be lessened. The drivers are very reckless and the traffic police should pay more attention to these matters to save the lives of our people using the roadways today. If there is a law, everybody should be subjected to that law. What goes for one must go for all.’
Ajay Lall, ranger – ‘Young drivers should be more aware of the danger on the roadways. The road is too narrow, drivers have to be cautious and they should not speed. The police should be doing what they ought to do to ensure that accidents do not happen.’
Joy Henry, housewife – ‘Most of the accidents are caused by reckless driving and the consumption of alcohol even though there is the breathalyzer test. If persons want to drink and drive, the government should have a separate road for those who want to do that. By doing this, persons will get conscious and will not want to endanger their lives and the lives of their loved ones.’
Lana George, teacher – ‘I think these accidents are caused mainly by speeding and I think its time Guyana try to bring about measures that can be put in place to monitor the speed
limits of these drivers. For example, in America, as soon as persons pass the speed limit, patrol cops take measures against them. I also think that the roads in Essequibo are too narrow and congested. The government should work to extend the road so there will be more space for vehicular traffic. I will like to give credit to the traffic cops for doing a wonderful job of clamping down on the overloading of the minibuses because most of the drivers on the Essequibo coast tend to go to the extreme. So kudos to the police for doing a great job.’
Seon Tugwell, missionary – ‘My honest opinion about traffic control on the Essequibo Coast is that the authorities treat it less important than anything else that is judicial. I believe that the roads need a lot of improvement. For the vast
landscape they are a bit narrow. Things should indeed be set in place to cut down on the level of alcoholism on the coast. Back home in Grenada, we have really narrow roads with winding corners but there is a scarcity in vehicular accidents and coming here and hearing about 4 accidents in 6 weeks, it is very alarming.’
