The Ministry of Home Affairs and Guyana Police Force (GPF) are calling for an urgent national shift in culture and strategy to tackle the alarming rise in road deaths, particularly among young motorcyclists.

The appeal came during the National Road Safety Stakeholders Forum, held under the theme ‘Do the Right Thing’ at the Police Officers’ Mess Annexe, Eve Leary, on Tuesday.

Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, addressing officers and stakeholders at the Road Safety Forum

Speaking at the road safety forum, Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, outlined a two-pronged approach to tackling this crisis.

The strategy includes a reset of national priorities based on the economic and human impact of road fatalities. It also pushes for the implementation of activism focused on enforcement and cultural transformation.

Despite the government’s efforts to improve road infrastructure and increase vehicle access, Minister Benn underscored that the troubling increase in road fatalities is among young motorcyclists, particularly those failing to wear helmets.

He said just last year, Guyana recorded 70 road deaths to date, a figure that is already above the pace required to meet the United Nations’ Decade of Action for Road Safety and the target of 53 road deaths per year by 2030.

“It simply means that over the next period we can’t have more than 5 road deaths per month for the end of the year,” said Minister Benn.

To stay on track to achieve the 2030 target, the ministry and the GPF have proposed stricter enforcement of the three-strike law for traffic violations.

Harsher penalties for repeat offenders, and expanded helmet distribution drives for motorcyclists alongside mandatory enforcement of their use.

Stakeholders at this year’s Road Safety Forum

These measures aim to drive behavioural changes among road users.

“So, when we talk about ‘Doing the right thing’ in respect of road safety, here and now, we have to have a highly motivated activist approach in respect of road safety. We have to put a lot of effort into it.

We have to be more assertive. There has to be a cultural change, not in the way we use the road, but in how we interact with the police. It will not change overnight, but the change has to come about in the examples we ourselves give in public, to our children, the change has to come with us,” he stated.

Also addressing the forum, Commissioner of Police Clifton Hicken noted that in the first half of 2025, fatal accidents rose by 20 per cent while overall accidents rose by 3 per cent.

Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken, delivering remarks at the Road Safety Forum

He stressed that while police enforcement is critical, road safety must be shared across every sector of society.

“Unless we change our collective attitudes towards road use, we will continue to bury our children, family and friends and this is why today is so important. It is an opportunity to move beyond rhetoric and into real partnerships, real solutions and real change. The police cannot do this alone. Road safety is everyone’s responsibility,” he said.

The commissioner called for a nationwide movement, driven by data, supported by legislation and fuelled by compassion and accountability.

Meanwhile, the forum continued with a group segment amongst officers to discuss the preparation of the Guyana National Plan of Action 2025-2030. (Department of Public Information)

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