Dear Editor,
The tragic collision on the Demerara Bridge yesterday morning—one of the nation’s most vital transport arteries—again highlights Guyana’s persistent road-safety challenge. Guyana Police Force data show 137 road traffic deaths in 2025 from 124 fatal crashes, a slight increase over 2024, underscoring the continued human cost despite broader efforts to reduce accidents.
I commend the Government of Guyana, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) for their visible and sustained interventions. On the Rupert Craig/East Coast Demerara highway—my daily commute—the disciplined deployment of traffic ranks and gazetted officers at key intersections and peak periods has brought measurable order, improved compliance, and helped rebuild public confidence in the GPF as a service-oriented institution rather than one seen solely through an enforcement lens.
These efforts matter. They curb reckless behaviour, protect vulnerable road users, and begin to reshape driving culture. Public education initiatives such as “Do the Right Thing,” combined with targeted enforcement, are contributing to incremental but meaningful change.
Structural risks remain. Bridges such as the Demerara crossing—particularly during wet conditions and limited visibility—require targeted mitigation. Practical measures include weather-responsive warning signage, reduced speed limits and enforcement on bridge approaches, improved skid-resistant surfaces and reflective markings, and faster-positioned emergency response capabilities.
Road safety ultimately demands a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach—combining enforcement, infrastructure, engineering standards, and personal responsibility. The progress now visible should be sustained, expanded, and continually refined to reduce preventable loss of life.