‘Every Life Matters, Every Road User Has a Responsibility’: Road Safety Awareness Month 2026 Launched as Fatalities Drop to 103; Police Target 50% Reduction by 2030

By Marvin Cato | HGP Nightly News |

GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — The Ministry of Home Affairs, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) Traffic Department, and the Guyana National Road Safety Council (GNRSC) have officially launched National Road Safety Awareness Month 2026, initiating a nationwide campaign to curb reckless driving, protect vulnerable pedestrians, and foster greater accountability across Guyana’s expanding road network.

The month-long campaign was launched on Wednesday under the national theme: “Every Life Matters, Every Road User Has a Responsibility.”

The launch comes amid modest but encouraging reductions in traffic incidents across the country. Official statistics for 2026 indicate a 16 per cent decrease in total traffic accidents and a 2 per cent drop in fatal collisions, with the national death toll declining from 107 to 103 year-to-date. Ranks also noted a decrease in road fatalities involving children.

However, law enforcement and road safety advocates warned that the numbers remain unacceptably high, reaffirming a strategic national commitment to cut all categories of road deaths by 50 per cent by 2030.

The Five ‘C’s and Shared Responsibility: Pedestrians, Riders, and Drivers

Addressing commuters on the program observing the launch, Coordinator of the Guyana National Road Safety Council Ramona Doorgen emphasized that road safety cannot be treated solely as a policing mandate, but as a universal civic duty:

• Universal Accountability: Doorgen urged every commuter—whether walking, cycling, operating a motorcycle, or driving a passenger vehicle—to exercise heightened vigilance, especially around school zones and high-density commercial strips.
• The Five ‘C’s of Road Safety: Commuters were urged to strictly apply the foundational principles: Care, Caution, Courtesy, Consideration, and Common Sense.
• Protecting the Vulnerable: The GNRSC stressed that drivers must actively reduce speed, look out for other drivers, look out for children on the roadway, and share the road responsibly as year-end traffic accelerates.

“We want to say as we launch Road Safety Month, whether you walk, ride or drive, you have a responsibility.” — Ramona Doorgen, Coordinator, GNRSC

Behavioral Crisis on the Roads: Traffic Chief Singh Outlines 2030 Target

Appearing alongside council representatives, Traffic Chief, Assistant Commissioner Mahendra Singh, noted that achieving significant and permanent decreases in fatalities requires transforming driver psychology:

• Addressing Risk-Taking Culture: Assistant Commissioner Singh underscored that the root of road trauma in Guyana is fundamentally behavioral. He pointed out that many motorists knowingly gamble with reckless maneuvers and excessive speeding at the expense of everyone else on the road, disproportionately endangering vulnerable groups like pedestrians and cyclists.
• The 2030 Halving Mandate: Singh aligned the Traffic Department’s multi-year operational framework with global road safety benchmarks, confirming the state’s objective to slash current collision and fatality figures in half by the end of the decade.
• Fair and Rigorous Enforcement: The Traffic Chief directed all Regional Traffic Officers across the ten administrative divisions to enforce traffic laws firmly, fairly, and diligently, emphasizing that consistent application of the law regarding speeding, unlicensed driving, and driving under the influence (DUI) will save lives.

“Naturally by 2030 the set objective is half of what we are experiencing now… or a 50% reduction in all classes and deaths.” — Assistant Commissioner Mahendra Singh, Traffic Chief

Month-Long Public Engagements and Regional Enforcement

Throughout November, the GPF Traffic Department and the GNRSC will roll out coordinated public education and enforcement exercises across Guyana’s coastal and hinterland corridors:

• School and Community Sensitization: Lecture teams will visit primary and secondary schools to educate youth on crossing drills, zebra crossings, and reflective gear usage.
• Intensified Day and Night Patrols: Police will expand speed-gun checkpoints, breathalyzer testing operations outside entertainment hubs, and vehicular fitness screenings.
• Public-Private Collaboration: Joint civic engagements with minibus associations, private hire car operators, and commercial trucking companies will seek to build a culture of caution and mutual respect on the highways.

Government officials, law enforcement agencies, and civil society partners reiterated that as public infrastructure continues to modernize, preserving life on the roadways remains the ultimate measure of national progress.