More than 2,000 people have died on the nation's roadways in the past ten years.
An examination of the statistics recorded over the past decade show that between 2005 and 2015, fatal road traffic accidents accounted for 2,170 deaths, of which 2,040 were adults and 130 were children.
For the year to date, 143 people have been killed. The figure includes drivers, passengers, pedestrians, motorcyclists and cyclists.
To be even more specific, 112 men, 21 women and ten children lost their lives as a result of road carnage in 2015.
This reflected an eight per cent decrease statistically, when compared to 2014 and as it stands right now (data as at December 16), that figure is the lowest it has been for at least the past ten years.
This decline according to Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mobile, Deodat Dulalchan, is a result of strategic efforts executed by the Traffic and Highway Patrol Branch of the T&T Police Service.
"Most of our accidents used to take place on our highways, but two years ago we would have done some research trying to identify hot days and hot locations. As a consequence of that, we would have identified about nine areas on the highways...What we would have done was target those areas, times, locations and so on," said Dulalchan.
Hot days and hot locations refer to days of the week and specific places respectively, at which road accidents occur.
Dulalchan told the GML Enterprise Desk that "of all of the accidents we would have had this year, 67 per cent did not take place on the highways. That is tremendous."
Contributing to this, he said, may be the fact that more and more motorists are using secondary routes frequently. A lot of these alternate routes Dulalchan said, were not built for intense traffic like that experienced along the M2 Ring Road, in Debe, where six people died this year.
Dulalchan said he was concerned with the speed at which drivers accelerate on both primary and secondary routes, which have a speed limit of 50 km/ph.
"Speed to my mind is very critical, the impact that an accident can have with speed is tremendous. Do we not understand how fragile we are on our roadway and whether we are paying the kind of interest we should be paying as it relates to our own personal safety," he said.
He said that the poor engineering of a road now heavily traversed could partially account for the collisions there.
Engineer with the Traffic Management Branch of the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure Nalini Samaroo, said they would be doing some milling round the corners of the M2 Ring Road in particular to help with the friction problem experienced.
Speaking to the media at a press conference along the M2 Ring Road on Tuesday she confirmed that the Ministry was also considering the installation of rumble strips along the M2 Ring Road, but did not reveal more on that safety device.
Rumble strips have already been installed along parts of the Lady Young Road, Morvant and the Mosquito Creek, La Romaine. They are meant to jolt drivers who may be falling asleep on themselves, but primarily they are meant to alert drivers of the need to slow down.
Despite the common perception that drivers usually survive fatal collisions while passengers die, the statistics paint a completely different reality.
Over the past ten years more than 800 drivers were killed behind the wheel while just over 600 passengers lost their lives.
Dulalchan called on passengers in private vehicle and taxis to speak up if they do not feel safe with the way someone is driving.
He said employers also have a responsibility to ensure employees are fit to drive.
"What role are we playing as an employer if you have workers who are working shift and probably doubling up the shift, whether you might be willing to encourage them that they probably need to take a little rest before they try to hurriedly reach home."
Dulalchan said more and more breadwinners, in some cases a sole provider, are killed. Not only does this affect the emotional, social and financial circumstances of a family but the various systems of the country as well, including the health sector, with people warded and left nursing injuries for months following an accident.
The head of the Traffic Branch said everyone should get on board to spread the message of road safety, repeating that one life lost is one too many.
He said if basic rules are followed then many accidents could be prevented, he called these the ABC rules: Don't drive on the shoulder of the highways, don't use handheld devices while driving and make sure you fasten your seatbelts.
He said motorists are regularly in breach of those offences when caught by Highway Patrol officers. In addition, driving under the influence of alcohol or other impairing drugs contribute to accidents, he said.
"Try to trim off all distractions when you are driving. We want you to drive today so that you will be able to drive tomorrow. Better you reach your location late than you try to beat the clock and you ain't reach at all."
Tomorrow we look at those left behind following the deaths of loved ones on the nation's roads.
More info:
More drivers than passengers killed between n 2005-2015
n 2,040- adults
n 130 � minors
n 812- drivers
n 608- passengers
n 610- pedestrians
n 89- motorcyclists
n 51- cyclists
Disturbing pattern:
The pattern shows five areas which account for more than a third of the total fatalities this year: 11 people were killed at various spots along the Priority Bus Route (which runs from Arima to Port-of-Spain), 12 people died along the Churchill Roosevelt Highway (which runs from Cumuto to Port-of-Spain), 15 people lost their lives along the Solomon Hochoy Highway (which runs from Chaguanas to San Fernando), 7 along the Uriah Butler Highway (which runs from Grand Bazaar to Chaguanas) and 6 people were killed along the M2 Ring Road (which connects Golconda to Debe).
