Driving under the influence (DUI) and speeding continue to be recorded as the leading causes of fatal accidents on the roadways for the year, according to Traffic Chief Linden Isles.
Isles made this disclosure on Friday during the Traffic Department’s Christmas policing plan presentation.
He said as of November 10th, the force had recorded a 4% decrease in accidents and a 6% decrease in deaths when compared with the same period last year.
“Almost 90% of our fatal accidents are caused by persons driving under the influence of alcohol and a combination of speeding,” Isles noted.
He noted that the force has recorded 84 accidents and 94 deaths compared with 87 accidents and 100 deaths for the same period last year. He said Region Four (b) – Eccles to Moblissa – recorded 25 deaths, the highest of all regions, followed by Region Six with 15 deaths, Region 4(a)- Agricola to Cumming’s Lodge – with 13 and Region 4 (C)- Industry to West of the Mahaica Bridge- with 10.
The total number of deaths for regions Two, Three, Five, Nine and Ten were reported to be below 10, while no deaths thus far for the year were recorded for regions One, Seven and Eight. (However, according to this newspaper’s records there have been fatal accidents in regions One and Seven for the year.)
Below are a few of the recent accidents that were either caused by speeding or drunk driving.
On October 15th, five persons died when a speeding police car collided head-on with another along the Friendship, East Bank Demerara Public Road.
The collision resulted in the deaths of Ronnel Barker, 24, a Presidential Guard who was driving the police car; Leon Tucker, 34, of 2544 Recht-Door-Zee, West Bank Demerara, a father of two and a member of the Guyana Defence Force; Tucker’s aunt, Lovern Stoby, 66, of Third Street, Friendship, who was a traffic officer at the John Fernandes Wharf; Denise King Josiah, 57, a cleaner, and her husband Hubert Josiah, 58, a porter, both of 105 Second Street, Friendship, who were employees of the Diamond Diagnostic Centre.
Trisha Lindon, who was a passenger in Tucker’s car, and Presidential Guard Travis Fullington, who was a passenger in the police car, were the only two survivors of the crash.
President David Granger had ordered a Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the accident which subsequently revealed that speeding by the police vehicle was excessive.
A short distance from where this accident happened, twenty-four-year-old Bonita Sugrim, a mother of four, was struck down by a drunken driver on October 5th.
Meanwhile, on October 26th, Tristan Clarke, 18, and Eon Reddock called “Baccoo,” 37, both of Central Amelia’s Ward, Linden, died following a head-on collision between an ambulance and a car along Obama Drive, Amelia’s Ward, Linden.
Two others were also injured.
Hours after on the same afternoon, 21-year-old Keshav Geetram, a resident of Lot 201 Patentia Housing Scheme, West Bank Demerara, lost his life after his car crashed into a parked vehicle along the La Bonne Intention (LBI), East Coast Demerara Public Road.
Geetram’s friend, Robin Kawall, 32, of Lusignan, was also critically injured in the accident.
Additionally, on November 4th, Onderneeming, Essequibo resident Vidur Anauge died after he was struck down by an alleged speeding car along the Onderneeming, Essequibo. The driver had fled the scene but was later apprehended and charged.
And on October 31st, pedal cyclist Govindra Persaud was fatally struck down on the Evergreen, Essequibo Coast Public Road by an alleged drunken driver.
