The fast and the dead

The fast and the dead

Look I am tired of deaths by vehicular accidents. How many people have to die before we come up with some type of comprehensive plan to deal with this situation? Guyana is far from the developed world we often use in comparison to draw conclusions, but there is a big difference between doing something and doing everything and there is no excuse for doing nothing.

The government should provide some type of transportation. I am aware this has been tried a few times before and it should be tried again. Even if public buses run twice a day, that would be a great start. There are always passengers upon arrival of the ferries, who want an alternative to the music deafening rockets that can topple in high winds and crumple like paper on any impact. There are always students after school, especially in areas with one road, who deserve a cheaper responsible alternative to those pedophile satisfaction machines under the disguises of speed and cool.

Don’t give me any new laws, but enforce those already in place. There need to be transparency in the law enforcement sector, also truthful claims of abuse and bribery should be followed up without putting the victims in further harm. The heavier a minibus is the harder it is to control and increases its breaking distance according to The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (UK). This is one of the least enforced traffic laws in Guyana and a potential hazard to all passengers.

Traffic lights, better roads, bridges and infrastructural problems means little if we cannot correct the most basic of factor behind vehicular deaths, which is the vehicle itself. Guyana should implement a crash test system that makes sure vehicles used for public transportation are up to standards upon collision. Whatever standards we have now, is obviously not working.

The World Health Organization has estimated that in 2002 almost 1.2 million people died in road crashes worldwide and as many as 50 million were injured. Unless action is taken, global road deaths are forecasted to double by 2020 and yet many of these deaths and injuries are known to be preventable.

Guyana is not the only country faced with these problems. South Africa is in the process of replacing its mini-buses with safer newer models, while Beijing replaced its mini buses with safer taxis at the dawn of the new millennium (www.peopledaily.com.cn).

I am in no way proposing any lasting plan; my main goal is to gain the attention of the parties responsible for dealing with transportation issues, policy making and law enforcements. None of these problems are unique to Guyana on a global scale, and with transparency of existing laws and plans we can all come together and find some lasting solutions to our problems and attempt to solve it.