Tragic Crashes with 2 Dead Demand Urgent Road Safety Reforms in Guyana

The tragic loss of two young lives in separate vehicular accidents has brought the nation into mourning and serves to underline, in starker terms, the need for road safety in Guyana.

In the latest case, 18-year-old Bibi Aleah Ali was killed in Corentyne, Berbice early Monday morning. She was riding in a car being driven by her 24-year-old husband, Niraz Sukdeo.

It was reported that Sukdeo, who appeared to have been speeding, lost control of the vehicle, which ploughed into a parked crane on Kiltern Public Road before it ended up in a nearby canal. Ali who was a medical technologist, was found dead at the scene from multiple injuries. Sukdeo is a patient and admitted at a hospital now.

A few minutes to midnight on July 20, 16-year-old Julio Joseph of Pomona, Essequibo Coast, also met his demise in a horrific accident. Joseph was a front seat passenger in the car being driven by 20-year-old Narine. He swerved to avoid a cow traveling at around 80kph on the Fairfield public road after which he lost control and careened into a wall.

Video footage also showed the car swerving before the impact, which also killed at least one dog. Narine, who sustained a fractured arm and a laceration to the head, was immediately transferred to Suddie Public Hospital.

The crashes have also resulted in Guyana’s Leader of Opposition, Aubrey Norton expressing grave concern over the wanton nature in which road crashes are occurring. Norton observed that the carnage has transcended all sets of road users including pedestrians and motorcyclists, car, bus, and truck drivers. He criticised the reaction of government, saying that it has failed to inspire confidence in the minds of the public.

“This carnage has engulfed all our highways and all types of road users and vehicles,” Norton said in a statement on Friday. “The government’s response to date has not inspired any public confidence.” He termed it a national crisis that required strong and swift government reactions.

Norton said an audit was needed to point the way in which implementations are needed to be done to make roadways safe for both drivers and pedestrians. He said there was an urgent need for active government intervention to avert more loss of lives.

The tragic deaths of Bibi Aleah Ali and Julio Joseph tell the tale of how urgently road safety measures need to be improved in Guyana.