GEORGETOWN — VPAC is demanding sweeping and immediate changes to Guyana’s road safety system, warning that the country’s streets have become “death traps” due to unqualified commercial drivers and a broken licensing system.
The organisation is calling for the introduction of a mandatory defensive driving and road-safety certification course for all public transportation operators, including minibus and taxi drivers, truck drivers, and anyone transporting passengers.
They insist that no commercial driver should be allowed on the road without completing at least five hours of certified training. Drivers unable to provide proof should have their licences suspended until they comply. According to VPAC, such a policy could save lives right away.
The committee also raised alarm over ongoing allegations that driver’s licences are being purchased rather than earned. They argue that every fraudulent licence issued is a direct threat to public safety.
“When you sell a licence, you are licensing someone to kill,” the organisation declared, stating that untrained and unqualified drivers are endangering children, pedestrians, and every other road user.
VPAC noted that parents depend on bus and taxi operators to transport students safely to and from school each day. That trust, they warn, is being destroyed by a system that allows dangerous drivers to operate without proper training.
“The loss of life on our roads is unacceptable,” the group said, urging the government to act now, before more families lose loved ones. VPAC says nothing short of urgent reform will restore confidence and bring discipline to Guyana’s roads.
