Dillon: Road deaths halved in past decade

The number of road-deaths has virtually halved in the past decade, according to figures given to the Lower House by Minister of National Security Edmund Dillon during debate on a bill to raise the speed-limit from 80 kilometres per hour (kph) to 100 kph, last Friday.

Dillon said 2008 saw 262 road deaths, the most on the country’s roads. The fatalities fell to 161 in 2014; 142 in 2015; and 135 in 2016 (the lowest since 2001). So far, this year has seen 101 road deaths, which Dillon said is the lowest in recent times.

He was confident a cultural change could be encouraged among motorists by raising consciousness, having more police patrols and using speed guns. Dillon said the number of speeding tickets based on speed-gun usage had increased from 11,000 last year to 16,000 this year.

Earlier in the debate, Tabaquite MP Dr Suruj Rambachan publicly named several companies whose trucks were driving dangerously and/or were poorly outfitted, including a well-known firms in the construction and security sectors. He lamented the breakneck speed of prisoner-transport vans.

Chaguanas East MP Fazal Karim asked how Government would increase police patrols given that a recent Police Manpower Audit Report showed a shortfall of police of 1,116, with an actual strength of 6,760 officers compared to its sanctioned strength of 7,784 officers. He asked how many of the country’s six speed guns are working, and how would they be supplemented by the planned purchase of nine more.