95 road deaths reported from Jan 1 to May 15 in Guyana: Reports

Guyana: A total of 95 road deaths have been recorded in the period between January 1, 2024, to May 15, 2024 in Guyana, as per the new statistics report. Out of these deaths, around 84 were accidents and incidents and others were from separate occasion.

The Guyana Police Force Traffic Department on Wednesday released its statistics on the number of road fatalities for the period January 1- May 15, 2024. In 2024, January 1- May 15, there were 95 road deaths from 84 accidents/incidents.

When compared with the corresponding period which is between January 1 to May 15, 2023, there were 91 road deaths from 78 accidents/incidents.

Based on observations and information from the GPF Traffic Department, the majority of the fatal accidents occurred during the night.  Speeding/drunk driving accounts for the majority of the deaths, while some people died due to a lack of caution on the roadways.

In September last year, Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn said that the government is very concerned about the increase in deaths caused by road accidents. “We are concerned about inconsistencies, aberrations in the way people behave. We have been requiring, demanding more to be done in respect of speeding, drunk driving, impaired driving, whether its drugs or cellphone use,” the Minister had said.

Minister Benn had said, too, that the government recognizes that there is an increased number of vehicles on the roads and that there are people who still insist on driving while drunk or just speeding for the joy of it. He committed to ensuring that this issue would be addressed in a comprehensive way.

Netizens have also reacted to the situation and stated that road accidents are also a concerning issue for the government and locals of Guyana. People added that the roads should be made properly and locals should drive thoroughly as they could their lives only with harsh driving.

One noted,”The road accidents is a concern and people must take proactive measures to stop these incidents and follow all the traffic rules.”

Another added,”The roads of Guyana should be maintained time to time so that rough roads could not become the reason of accidents.”