There has been an increase in road accidents and deaths over the years and to tackle this, Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn recently said the authorities are exploring several solutions including an increase in the fines for breaches of traffic offences.
“It is my view now that we will not get a better hold of this situation. If people are not made to feel the appropriate sanctions for reckless misbehavior, dangerous misbehavior.
“It is my view that we should increase the traffic fine by three times,” Benn said.
He was at the time speaking at the launch of the Road Safety Stakeholders’ Forum 2024 and Road Safety Campaign last Friday.
Majority of the accidents, Benn said, are caused by younger folks, particularly males, and are linked to alcohol consumption and speeding.
Many accidents, he added, happen between Friday and Sunday during the evening hours.
“Persons speed because they think they could get away with it. Persons speed perhaps because they know if though they are charged, they will not appear in court or pay the fine. Some persons say they speed because they know they can bribe the police on the road.
“It is my intension to put in place the requisite technology, the tracking of cases at the courts with the effort of the Guyana Police Force to make sure that those people must pay the requisite fines and sanctions,” Benn explained.
Meanwhile, in his address, Commissioner of Police (ag) Clifton Hicken admitted that while much is being done, more emphasis needs to be focused on ensuring safety on the roadways.
“There are so many ways accidents can occur but it is for us to ensure that we be responsible in whatever we do,” Hicken said.
Guyana is currently working in accordance with the United Nations Second Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030 with an aim of reducing traffic deaths and injuries by 50 per cent by 2030.
OK, Robeson, how will the deceased pay those triple fines if he is dead from accident ?