President Irfaan Ali on Wednesday announced that government has started testing an electronic speed monitoring system that is likely to replace to use of speed guns by members of the Guyana Police Force (GPF).
“We are testing right now an electronic speed monitoring system….We starting from the new highway,” Ali said while delivering feature address at the Guyana Tourism Awards Gala, which was held at Parc Rayne, Houston, Georgetown, on Wednesday night.
The new system, Ali said, will register the speed of vehicles traversing the roadways along with details of the vehicles such as its registration numbers and brand.
“…We have to create an environment that is conducive here. We can’t have mad men and women driving on the road,” he said before adding, “So, we are going to take that away from the police in the sense that they don’t have to spend hours on the road anymore with a speed gun”.
According to Ali, once the system is implemented, speeding tickets will be sent directly to motorists’ homes and the court.
“I am giving you early warning. Your electronic ticket will be sent to the court and to your home simultaneously. Good luck. Merry Christmas,” he added.
The President also expressed concerns about the manner in which some motorists use the country roadways.
“…The way some of these people drive on the road, begs the question whether we even have an appreciation for our own lives. So we are going to invest in technology and the systems that will guide change. Unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of time to catch up anymore. We have to put the highest standards and everybody have to come up to speed with the standards without speeding,” he explained.
In the past, persons had scrutinised the accuracy of the equipment used for policing, particularly the speed guns and breathalyzer machines.
In October this year, the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) had launched a new service to verify the speed guns used by the GPF traffic department.
In a release, GNBS had said that using its newly acquired MultaRadar Equipment and Compact Device, the agency said it will be able to verify speed guns submitted by the GPF to ensure they are delivering accurate readings.
Up to the end of October this year, the GPF had recorded a 31 per cent decrease in fatal accidents.
Driving under the influence of alcohol and speeding were among the contributing factors for road accidents reported by Traffic Chief, Ramesh Ashram, at the launch of Road Safety Month in November.
