Traffic Fatalities Mounting
By Licec Bastian
Journal Staff Writer
The number of traffic fatalities in the country continue to climb as Abaco recorded two of them just two days apart.
A traffic accident last Tuesday evening on Forest Drive, Murphy Town claimed the life of a 22-year-old male.
According to police reports, shortly after 7:00 p.m. the victim was driving east on Forest Drive, when he lost control of his black 2013 Honda Civic and collided into a utility pole.
Due to the extensive damages of the vehicle, police on Abaco said the victim had to be extricated using the “jaws of life.” He was transported to the Medical Center in Marsh Harbour where he succumbed to his injuries.
On Saturday, sometime around 9:25 p.m., a 37-year-old Murphy Town resident died as a result of a traffic accident on the S.C. Bootle Highway.
Police said officers received information that a white 2014 Hino flatbed truck, driven by an adult male from Dundas Town, was traveling west along S.C. Bootle Highway when the male driver of a Dodge Dakota truck from Murphy Town, who was also traveling west, lost control and collided into the rear of the flatbed truck.
The victim received severe injuries and was pronounced dead on the scene by the local doctor.
Since the start of 2023, according to The Bahama Journal’s records, there have been four traffic fatalities on Abaco, one of them a hit and run.
Back in May, this year, Transport Minister Jobeth Coleby-Davis expressed deep concern over the number of traffic accidents in the country.
In a statement at the time, the minister noted that for the first five months of 2023 traffic fatalities stood at 22. During the same period, in 2022, the number of traffic fatalities were at 19 and in 2021 there were 13 deaths as a result of traffic accidents.
The minister urged caution, “Considering the reported fatalities, the Minister of Transport and Housing and the Road Traffic Department are urging members of the public to exercise extreme caution on the roadways.
“Members of the public are urged to always drive within the speed limit, wear seat belts and obey all traffic laws.
“Do not drive a vehicle if you are under the influence of alcohol. Do not use mobile devices while driving,” the statement said.
There were 46 traffic fatalities in 2021. In 2022, the number increased to 59. So far for 2023, there have been 30 traffic fatalities according to The Journal’s records.
