It’s imperative road users adopt safer practices

- Home Affairs Ministry

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday called on all categories of road users to exercise utmost caution when using the roads, reminding them that road safety  is a shared responsibility.

It is imperative that road users adopt safer road use practices to avoid road accidents, the  Home Affairs Ministry emphasized in a press release.

In the meantime, the release noted, the government  has been working assiduously to enhance the quality of thecountry’s roads; to improve traffic legislation and management; and to provide traffic education to persons of all ages.

The release referred to the recent statistics released by the Guyana Police Force which indicated that a lesser number of persons had lost their lives on the country’s roads as a result of traffic accidents.

According to the figures released, thirty-one persons lost their lives to traffic accidents as at May 9, 2012 as against 40 for a similar period in 2011.

However, while there can be some amount of comfort in the declining statistics on traffic deaths for a specific period, the Home Affairs Ministry said it is sad that “lives have been lost on the roads through reckless driving by some drivers and the careless use of the roads by some motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians.”

Traffic accidents invariably result in the loss of lives, serious injuries and damage to property and they also have a financial impact on victims, their relatives and the national economy, the ministry underscored.

The ministry said  that it “is yet to be satisfied that enough care and attention is paid by road users,” and urged all categories to support the Guyana Police Force in its efforts to reduce traffic accidents.