GEORGETOWN – Guyana’s packed minibuses and hire cars move thousands of commuters every day, but road-safety officials are warning that many passengers may unknowingly be placing their lives in the hands of drivers who are not medically fit to be behind the wheel.
During a recent televised road-safety programme, Earl Lambert, Chairman of the National Road Safety Council, revealed that a worrying number of public-transport drivers are nearsighted, colour-blind, or dealing with untreated health conditions that can slow their reaction time. Despite transporting dozens of people daily, there is no standardised national system to ensure these drivers are medically cleared to operate their vehicles.
Lambert said the Council is now confronting the problem directly by launching public-health checks at one of the busiest transport hubs in the country. “For the rest of the month, we have some activities planned. We have a fair at Stabroek Square where we want to look at public-transportation drivers, their eyesight,” he explained. “Some of them are nearsighted, but they’re working. Some of them are colour-blind; they can’t see colours properly, like the traffic lights.”
While the checks will be voluntary, Lambert believes they could significantly reduce accidents. “We’re not forcing anybody, but we feel it can help.” Inspector Richard Trotz, Traffic Education Officer at Traffic Headquarters, said these limitations may appear harmless in normal circumstances. But at 80 km/h, with a full bus approaching a busy intersection, poor vision or colour-blindness can be the difference between a safe trip and a fatal crash.
Officials warn that drivers who cannot accurately judge distance at night, or who struggle to distinguish red from green, become hidden dangers on the nation’s roads. They are urging bus and hire-car operators to participate in the upcoming Road Safety Council fairs, calling it a critical step toward preventing future tragedies.
