Amid a public outcry over traffic deaths and accidents, the Ministry of Home Affairs last evening said there will be more targeted enforcement programmes including closer monitoring of night clubs and greater use of closed circuit television footage.
A statement from the Ministry of Home Affairs said that in response to public concerns on traffic matters it convened a meeting yesterday involving the Guyana National Road Safety Council, the Guyana Police Force, the Guyana Minibus Association and the Ministry of Home Affairs to discuss these matters and to come up with recommendations on the way forward.
The statement said that the meeting was informed that the main causes for fatal accidents for 2013 were speeding, inattentiveness and driving under the influence of alcohol.
The main victims are pedestrians as a result of private vehicles accidents occurring between midday and the evening hours and between the evening hours to midnight on Sundays and Fridays involving drivers between the ages of sixteen to twenty-four and between twenty-five to thirty-three years of age.
It was agreed, the statement said that with this information in hand there should be more targeted enforcement by the police force and education programmes by the road safety council.
“Special programmes are to be organised for young drivers in particular. Night Clubs are to be closely monitored by Ranks of the GPF and greater use is to be made of CCTV footage to address delinquent drivers and road users.
The meeting was also told that between 2010 and 2013 the Ministry of Home Affairs procured and delivered to the GPF eighteen breathalyser machines with printers and four hundred mouthpieces as well as twenty nine radar guns.
The meeting analysed several recommendations recently advanced by opposition coalition, A Partnership for National Unity and found them agreeable and implementable in principle.
These recommendations were assigned to various stakeholders for further consideration as regards implementation.
It was also agreed that a National Conference on Road Safety will be convened early in the year bringing together all stakeholders in the campaign to uphold road safety throughout Guyana.
