Dip In Traffic Deaths

It appears the Road Traffic Department and its aggressive campaigning in 2008 has paid off with a slight decrease in the number of traffic fatalities recorded last year.

Statistics released by the Road Traffic Department reveal that 45 fatalities were recorded in 2008, a slight decrease from the 50 recorded in the previous year.

Nineteen of the 45 traffic fatalities in 2008 were recorded here in New Providence, a significant decrease from the 33 recorded in the previous year.

Grand Bahama also recorded 10 fatalities last year while the remaining 16 were recorded on various family islands including on Eleuthera and Abaco.

The statistics also revealed that of the 45 fatalities recorded last year, 37 of the victims were male and the remaining eight were female.

Newly appointed Road Traffic Controller Phillip Turner assumed office in November, taking over from now Immigration Director Jack Thompson.

He said even while the fatality count is down by five, this does not mean that the traffic department will stop its aggressive safety campaign.

"It behooves my department to become more aggressive in road safety programmes and building that constant relationship with the public to cause them to appreciate that road safety is paramount for the decrease of road fatalities.

According to Mr. Turner, the road traffic department under his leadership will be proactive in preventing any more careless fatalities on the streets.

"As controller you can expect that in this coming year, the unit responsible for public service announcements would be quite vigilant.

"We see this as a major plank in our administration and we certainly will be utilizing the various radio and television entities to ensure that we get the messages out," the director said.

The Road Traffic Department, over the last several years has established a unit called the Transportation Planning and Policy Unit (TPPU).

According to the director, this unit which works in concert the Police Traffic Division of the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) has determined that persons who exercise excessive speed, not utilizing due care and attention on our roadways have been the primary causes for many of the road accidents.

"So as we move forward due diligence will be the order of the day," the director said.