The Ministry of Home Affairs, through the Guyana Police Force, is aiming to reduce road fatalities to just about 53 per annum by 2030. The ambitious goal is in keeping with the United Nations (UN) Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, which has a target of preventing at least 50 percent of the road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030. 

To date, Guyana has recorded 108 road fatalities since the start of the year.

Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, while speaking at the launch of Road Safety Month on Tuesday, said there is much work to be done, and while the Government and the Guyana Police Force are committed to the task, they cannot do it alone. 

“By 2030, we should only see 53 deaths per year on the roads by 2030. Just around 50 persons dying on our road… So, we have six years more in relation to getting to that number. There is a lot of work ahead, which is required to get this done. We cannot do this alone, the ministry, the Guyana Police Force, the National Road Safety Council, we cannot do this by ourselves. It relies on a change in culture, a change in behaviour, greater levels of awareness amongst the population,” the Home Affairs Minister said. 

He said through the National Assembly, the Government has strengthened the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Laws to mandate better usage of the country’s roads, while addressing the sore issues of speeding, driving under the influence, failure to use a seatbelt, and the general reckless use of the road by riders, drivers and event pedestrians. 

Minister Benn said the Government continues to invest in the Guyana Police Force to improve its capacity to respond to the daily challenges.  

Making it clear that the Government and the police cannot do it alone, Minister Benn called on parents to set better examples for their children, by doing the right thing when using the road. He also called on children to hold their parents, and adults in general accountable for their usage of the roads.

“I would like the children, in school, if their friends or even the teacher perhaps is not doing the right thing, to suggest that they should do the right thing. So, the word is, do the right thing. If we go into the minibuses and they are doubling up and tripling up kids in the minibus, you have to tell the driver do the right thing or come out of the bus. If we know that daddy or mommy is speeding on the road, we got to say mommy, do the right thing, don’t speed, don’t take unnecessary risks,” Minister Benn said. 

Over the past decade, Guyana has lost more than 1300 of its citizens to road accidents. 83% of those who died in accidents were male.

The most vulnerable age group is between 25 and 42 years, which accounts for the highest number of fatalities.

Motorcyclists and pedestrians were the most frequently involved in fatal accidents, with motorcycles contributing to 32 per cent of fatal accidents and private cars to 35 per cent.

Speeding remains the leading cause of road fatalities, accounting for 70 per cent of the deaths. The data also shows that the majority of fatal accidents occur over extended weekends, from Friday to Monday, with a peak time between 6:01 PM and midnight. 

Chairman of the Guyana National Road Safety Council, Earl Lambert said road accidents is a global problem. 

“Road Traffic crashes result in the death of approximately 1.19 million people around the world each year, and it leaves between 20 and 50 million people with non-fatal injuries. More than half of all road traffic deaths occur among vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclist,” he said 

Lambert said road accidents, which often result in death and injuries, place a significant burden on the healthcare system but also the economies of countries, and on finances of families affected by accidents. 

He said measures to elevate accidents including fatal accidents, exist, and must be adhered to if Guyana, and the world at large, are to meet the ambitious goals set by the UN.  

Road Safety Month 2024 was launched under the theme ‘Do The Right Thing.’

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