Tougher laws passed to cover reckless and drunk driving on the roadways

New penalties range from harsher fines to imprisonment, suspension or being barred from holding a driver’s license for the offence of causing death by reckless or dangerous driving and driving under the influence of alcohol.

Tougher laws passed to cover reckless and drunk driving on the roadways

Describing road accidents as a chronic problem in Guyana, Attorney General Anil Nandlall said the government had no option but to put stricter laws in place to prevent drunk driving—one of the leading causes of accidents and deaths in Guyana.

The National Assembly on Monday passed a number of amendments to the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act and the Intoxicating Liquor Licenses Act.

New penalties range from harsher fines to imprisonment, suspension or being barred from holding a driver’s license for the offence of causing death by reckless or dangerous driving and driving under the influence of alcohol.

“Motor manslaughter is a completely new concept in our jurisprudence. A person who causes the death of another person while driving a motor vehicle under the influence of a drink or drug shall be guilty of motor manslaughter. This is an indictable offence which carries the penalty of a term imprisonment not less than 10 years,” the new law states.

The Attorney General said the government has heard the cries of the nation and has responded with measures that will prevent persons from drinking and driving.

“A person convicted under this new section shall be disqualified from holding or obtaining a license for three years. So a person who is convicted either of motor manslaughter  or of causing previous bodily harm under this section shall be disqualified—there is no power here there is no discretion here, disqualification is part of the sentence,” the Attorney General said.

If a person is convicted for a second time with the same offence then that person shall be permanently disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver’s license. Importantly, if a person is sober when the accident occur, the new law will not apply to them.

The government amended the Intoxicating Liquor Licensing Act with provisions that prohibit drunkenness on premises that are licensed to sell alcohol.

The new subsection provides that a licence holder shall not permit any drunkenness on his premises nor sell, give or barter or allow another person to sell, give or barter intoxicating liquor to a drunken person within the premises.

Additionally, the licence holder is mandated to not sell, give or barter intoxicating liquor to a person he knows is likely to leave the premises by driving a motor vehicle unless a designated driver is identified.

Last week during the launch of National Road Safety month, Traffic Chief, Senior Superintendent Dennis Stephen, revealed more than 600 persons lost their lives on the country’s roadways in the last five years.

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