Ministry of Transport expresses ‘deep concern’ about rise in traffic fatalities

As of Wednesday, May 31, 2023

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

TWO women were killed in separate traffic accidents in New Providence over the weekend, prompting police to advise drivers to slow down.  

The deaths bring the country’s unofficial traffic death count to 22 for the year. 

The first incident occurred on Friday around 3.30pm on Prince Charles Drive. 

According to reports, a white Daihatsu Mira driven by a woman was travelling east along Prince Charles Drive when it collided with a white flatbed truck travelling west. 

Consequently, the truck driver lost control and collided with a utility pole and a vehicle parked on the street's southern side. 

Both drivers were injured during the accident; however, the woman received serious injuries and died on the scene. 

She has been identified as Philippa Deveaux. 

Around 11.15pm that day, a black GMC Canyon truck and a silver colored Nissan Cube collided at McKinney and Johnstone Avenue, Stapledon Gardens. 

Both drivers were injured during the accident, but only the woman driver of the Nissan Cube died on the scene of her injuries. 

Due to the number of fatal accidents over the weekend, police again urged people to follow the rules and regulations governing the streets.

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ThisIsOurs 1 year, 5 months ago

The police can do alot more than theyre doing to reduce traffic accidents. As it doesnt make sense that theyre doing nothing, someone must be setting themselves to make some traffic control related dollars.

I saw a police car at the stop light heading south on marathon, opposite them on the other side of the road was a car at a stop almost in the middle of the marathon/marathon mall intersection as cars turning into and out of the mall carefully maneuvered around them. No car was behind them, all other cars were appropriately positioned for a red light stop. That driver should have been given double tickets for blocking an intersection and impeding the flow of traffic. On Prince Charles AGAIN, that eatery next to Shell gas station is a nuisance, road traffic could simply post a NO PARKING sign there to stop cars from blocking the road as they park half on the sidewalk half in the road with no regard for traffic. Cars continue to zip into turning lanes to jump the traffic line. another sign, cars in left/right turn lane must make a left/right turn

I saw a tractor digging a trench at the end of Prince charles... it appears like they were doing prep work to extend the sidewalk. If we're doing "something", why dont we get the right thing done? people claim they walk in the road because the sidewalk either isnt well lit or because the sidewalk is too uneven for exercise. So instead of extending a walkway, construct a proper well lit, running trail. There's more than enough space. construct it properly so it doesnt crumble and shift with rain. And a running path can also be used by walkers

Dawes 1 year, 5 months ago

I agree with you, but unfortunately i do not think are police themselves know the law in regards to driving. So they don't see anything wrong with the vast majority of wrongdoing on the road.

IslandWarrior 1 year, 5 months ago

In 2019, PTI Bahamas proposed to the Bahamas Government to revitalize the Road Traffic Department (RTD) and implement new initiatives to address the high level of bad, aggressive, and reckless driving on the streets of The Bahamas, particularly among young females. The proposal included the offer to establish a driving school to reeducate repeat traffic violators and improve driving skills, with the cost of attending the driving classes being borne by the drivers themselves. This court-mandated feature of the proposal was expected to generate substantial income and encourage adherence to traffic regulations.

However, despite the proposal's potential benefits, it was never accepted or approved by the government. Consequently, the issues related to reckless driving, traffic accidents, and fatalities continued to persist. The Minister of Transport and Housing, JoBeth Coleby-Davis, expressed deep concern about the rise in traffic fatalities in The Bahamas, particularly noting a dramatic rise in female traffic fatality victims.

The statistics provided indicate an alarming trend of increasing traffic fatalities. In the first five months of 2021, there were 13 traffic fatalities, which increased to 19 in 2022, and as of the given report, there have been 22 fatalities in 2023. Most of the victims were the drivers of vehicles, with 59 percent of them being under the age of 35. The majority of fatal traffic accidents occurred between 4 p.m. and 8 a.m., primarily on the streets of New Providence and Grand Bahama.

Notably, a significant portion of the reported fatalities involved female drivers. Eight females have died in traffic accidents so far in 2023, while three females died in traffic accidents in 2022 and one in 2021. Recent accidents include two separate incidents in which women lost their lives. In one case, a collision between a white Daihatsu Mira and a white flatbed truck resulted in the death of the female driver of the Mira. In the other case, a collision between a GMC Canyon and a Nissan Cube resulted in the death of the female driver of the Cube.

Given the concerning increase in traffic fatalities, the Minister of Transport and Housing and the Road Traffic Department issued a statement urging the public to exercise extreme caution on the roadways. They emphasized the importance of adhering to speed limits, wearing seatbelts, obeying traffic laws, avoiding driving under the influence of alcohol, and refraining from using mobile devices while driving.

In the 2019 proposal by PTI Bahamas, several initiatives were suggested to enhance the revenue streams of the Road Traffic Department and improve road safety. These included the introduction of digital driver's licenses, establishing a traffic school with simulators for traffic violators, training programs for commercial and heavy equipment drivers, and implementing a "DriversEd" program for high school seniors.

ThisIsOurs 1 year, 5 months ago

What most likely happened, as has happened to thousands of Bahamians, someone who cant produce their own good ideas, somewhere along the chain from top to bottom, saw your plan, realized how much income it could generate and decided theyd "do it themselves".

Unfortunatrly these brain dead IP theives never get the full import of the idea or the vision and end up implementing it's crazy cousin which never scales well but can be patched and propped to limp along for years until the next administration comes in and their person scraps it to implement their crazy cousin. Dont let it be something technical, administration's can wow the public just by saying, here click this button, we digital. It's a plus if they can mention blockchain or AI

Isnt someone doing the heavy truck driving certification now?

IslandWarrior 1 year, 5 months ago

Agree; personalities openly flaunt their actions without any sense of shame. There have been several notable occurrences, such as the $25m public-private partnership (PPP) to establish a new Road Traffic Department headquarters on Tonique Williams Darling Highway BF/PPP1 House Assembly announcement, the remarkable 25 Million Transformation project at Rons Auto, and most recently, the controversial 'silent' Old Robin Hood deal on Tonique Williams Highway, which involved relocation. It is important to mention that Rons Auto was initially promised 5 million as part of the deal but received only 4 million. Moreover, funds were allocated for the renovation and relaunch of RTD at the Old Robin Hood location, but these funds allegedly vanished without any explanation. We are still eagerly awaiting the outcome of the Request for Proposal (RFP) for the new RTD headquarters, as announced by the new Minister last year. Additionally, it is worth noting the questionable $1 Million deal involving the Vanity Plate Printer that Wells and Turnquest secured before their dubious scheme collapsed. Curiously, this printer, which is listed at $95,000, raises questions about the intentions behind their actions. Perhaps that 'crazy cousin' needed some assistance before their personal financial misgiving was exposed to the public. Now the 'crazy cousin' are proposing "remote' vehicle inspection equipment, straight from the pages of the 2019 PTI Offer, that sits in the hands of those "implementing its crazy cousin which never scales."

All brainless

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