51 road deaths for 2018 so far

Police say 51 persons lost their lives in road accidents for the period of January 1 to June 30, 2018, representing an increase from last year.

According to official statistics released by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Friday night, there is a 4% increase in the deaths, but a decrease in the number of fatal accidents.

The present period saw 44 fatal accidents compared to last year’s 46, a decrease of 4.3%.

Speeding is the number one cause of the fatal accidents on Guyana’s roadways, according to the statistics.

Of the total fatal accidents, 25 were as a result of speeding; 7 due to inattentiveness; 6 owed to driving under the influence of alcohol; 5 because of the pedestrian crossing in the path of an approaching vehicle; and 1 for failure to conform to road signs.

There was a recorded 10,236 instances of speeding and 1,868 cases of driving under the influence of alcohol.

The GPF says there were also reductions in serious, minor and damage accidents.

For 2018, there were 121 serious accidents compared to 2017’s 146; 131 minor accidents as opposed to 2017’s 194; and 265 against 2017’s 325.