GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC:WITH AN averaging of 165 deaths per year, Guyana's road fatality figure is ranked fifth among countries in the Americas, Health Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy has said.
"This frightening statistic ought to jar Guyanese out of their complacent approach to road usage," he said.
He warned that Guyanese "cannot stand by and allow the carnage on our roads to continue unabated". "With more and better roads, poor driving habits and poor use of roads in general, the rates of deaths and the carnage would continue to increase unless we do something now."
In 2000, there were 133 accidents resulting in 165 fatalities. The following year 144 persons were killed on the roads.
Figures from the Police Traffic Department indicate that in 2002 there were 158 deaths caused by traffic accidents and the figures for last year showed that 173 persons were killed on the roads here.
Ramsammy said road accidents were also taking its toll on the country's finances.
"We estimate that the cost of taking care of accident victims amount to more than G$100 million (US$500,000) per year at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) Corporation alone," Ramsammy said.
He said it was even worse when other variables were factored into the "domino effect" of road accidents.
"When the loss of productivity, among other things, are taken into consideration, accidents cost Guyana more than G$500 million (US$2.5 million) per year. This is an enormous amount of resources for Guyana to have to expend on a problem that is absolutely preventable."
"When replacements of parts and vehicles and cost for life-long disability are computed, road traffic accidents easily cost Guyana about G$1 billion per year (US$5 million) or more than 1.5 per cent of our national budget," Ramsammy said.
"The fact is, accidents just don't simply happen, they are caused," the Minister complained referring to endemic breaches of road safety rules by users and drivers.
"If we are going to reduce accidents, save lives and reduce disability due to accidents, traffic safety must become a priority in our everyday lives (and) it must become the business of every individual, every family, every user of the roads, including pedestrians, drivers and passengers, schools, churches, local governments and the central government," Ramsammy said.
The Health Minister urged citizens to unite in dealing with the situation.
"This effort will require inter-sectoral approaches involving the Ministries of Health, Home Affairs, Education, Labour and Social Security and Youth, Culture and Sports. This is a battle we can win," Ramsammy predicted.
