Drunk driving is expected to decline with the introduction of White night, a campaign launched to help reduce road fatalities.
The name White Night means – no traffic police rank will be sleeping on the nights that the campaign is in full effect. As such all ranks will be out and about each night of the campaign helping to keep the streets safe.
This campaign will include road blocks and road safety education awareness.
The White Night Campaign schedule.
It will also entail the presence of prominent citizens such as, Traffic Officers from all Divisions, Executive members of the Guyana National Road Safety Council [GNRC], Government Ministers, the Commissioner of Police, Association members and all Citizens who feel they can make a difference by, raising the level of awareness to aid a reduction of drunk driving.
Research have shown, whenever a prominent person joins any campaign, the level of awareness is recognised. These persons will join the Police at the various road blocks assisting with education awareness and such as sharing information to motorist by way of flyers bumper stickers etc. Breathalyzing of the Drivers will be done by the Police.
It is expected that the Media fraternity would also be an integral part of such exercises.
It has long been recognized as important for the Ministry of Public Security, the Guyana Police force and the Guyana National Road Safety Council to address the Drunk Driving situation in Guyana. This is in spite of the fact that figures suggest a significant decrease in road deaths. Currently Guyana has a 30 percent road fatality rate. However stringent efforts are being made to reach the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 which speaks to the reduction of road death by 50 percent by the year 2020.
Embracing the theme, “Every life loss is one Life too many” the GNRSC with the support of the Public Security Ministry, the Guyana Police Force and other stakeholders will work to restrict the escalation of road crashes many of which have been linked to DUI, blatant disregard for traffic advisories and traffic laws and/or ignorance of road rules and the lack of road safety education.
The campaign is slated to commence on Friday June 2, 2017 and continue one day each following month until Friday December, 2017.