Although November was Road Safety Month, it saw the highest number of road fatalities recorded for the year.
“Yes, November was a challenging month for us. Even though we observed Road Safety Month, we had 13 accidents with 16 deaths against 17 accidents with 17 deaths last year,” Traffic Chief Dion Moore told Stabroek News in a recent interview.
According to Stabroek News’ records, there were 19 deaths.
Despite the numbers, Moore noted that while it might appear to the general public that accidents are on the increase, the numbers are actually down when compared with the figures from last year. “We are not on the increase,” he said.
According to Moore, statistics compiled by the Traffic Department show that at the end of November there were 95 accidents, resulting in 112 deaths, compared to 121 accidents with 130 deaths for this same period last year. Of the current number, 14 of the victims were children in comparison with 15 for last year.
He said that the figure for serious accidents stands at 318 against 339 for the same period last year. Minor accidents are at 400, against 411 for last year, and damage accidents stand at 638, against 613 last year.
Moore said from August to now there has been a noticeable decrease in accidents overall as the police force has implemented a strategic plan targeting specific offences, such as driving under the influence (DUI), speeding, the