277 road victims in May

Statistics that the Traffic Volunteers’ Force Suriname (KSV) received from the Academic Hospital Paramaribo (AZP) indicate that there were 277 road victims in May. Helmut Gezius, chairman at the KSV, told Times of Suriname that 189 road victims were male and 88 were female. He also pointed out that there were 27 pedestrians, 10 cyclists, 125 moped riders and motorcyclists, 112 car occupants (drivers and passengers) and 3 people from the unspecified category. He also pointed out that the moped riders and motorcyclists are still the biggest group of injured people and that most of the victims-151 in total-are between the ages 15 to 34. 98 road victims were listed after a collision between a car and a motorcycle while 73 victims were listed after a collision between 2 cars. 24 people were listed as road victims in traffic accidents where a car ran a pedestrian over. In 25 cases the car flipped over. 7 road deaths were listed in May 2017. Gezius pointed out that it is noticeable that a 5-year-old girl and two old ladies of 75 and 79 years were killed in fatal traffic accidents. According to Gezius, there were 353 road victims in May 2016. 253 of them were male and 100 were female. Gezius explained that most of the serious traffic accidents are the result of speeding in combination with drunk driving. He condemned the conduct of drivers who do not care about the safety of pedestrians. Drivers often stop right in front of pedestrians who want to cross the street. Some drivers also demand a thank you from pedestrians for stopping in front a zebra crossing.