By Sue-Ann Wayow

TO date, 44 persons have lost their lives in road accidents for 2025 with the one of the latest victims being a nine-year-old child over the long weekend.

While the data from the Traffic and Highway Patrol Branch Roadway Surveillance Unit (RSU), states that it is a 10 per cent reduction compared to 49 for the same period in 2024, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) believes the deaths are still too many.

The TTPS  has extended condolences to the families who tragically lost their loved ones to fatal road traffic crashes over the weekend as several accidents took place especially along the nation’s highways.

In a media release on Sunday, the TTPS urged motorists to “exercise greater care, caution and common sense when operating a motor vehicle on the public roadways as poor decision making and inattentiveness can quickly result in unintended, tragic consequences, including loss of life and limb.”

Police reported at around 11 pm on Friday night, officers of the Traffic and Highway Patrol Branch responded to a road traffic crash involving a taxi which lost control along the southbound lane of the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway in the vicinity of Charles Street, Gasparillo and impacted the guardrail on the center median.

The front seat passenger of the taxi, Victor Ryan of La Brea, received fatal injuries and died on the scene.  Officers from the St Margarets Police Station are continuing investigations into that incident.

Then also around 11 pm on Saturday night, officers of the Traffic and Highway Patrol Branch responded to a road traffic crash along the southbound lane of the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway in the vicinity the Claxton Bay flyover where the driver of a white SUV lost control of his vehicle and deviated off the unto the shoulder into the grassy undulating section causing the vehicle to overturn numerous times.

Four of the five occupant: the driver  Steve Elder,40, of Cunupia , Kizzy Cato,38, of Laventille, Kathlyn Wright and the nine-year-old child  received fatal injuries and were pronounced dead on the scene by the District Medical Officer.

One female, in the front passenger seat, was alive and rushed to the hospital in critical condition. She is now warded at the Point Fortin Hospital, where her severe injuries are being assessed and treated.

Woman Corporal Charles from the Couva Police Station is continuing investigations.

Senior Superintendent of the Traffic and Highway Patrol Branch, Lincoln Daly, is warning motorists to drive more responsibly on the roadways.

 He said, “Lately my officers have been responding too often to preventable road traffic collisions on the highways, many of which involve some form of driver error, be it following too close to the vehicle in front, driving too fast for conditions, or being distracted by phone use.

Drivers need to pay more attention and focus on their driving and that means obeying road traffic laws and looking out for fellow drivers”.

Police Road Safety Project Coordinator Sgt Brent Batson also reminded motorists the importance of wearing seatbelts.

He noted that between Friday to Sunday morning, 160 drivers were issued fixed penalty notices for failing to wear seatbelts.

Batson said, “Drivers and passengers need to be aware that an unbelted vehicle occupant that is ejected from a motor vehicle in a road traffic crash, has four times the likelihood of being killed. Seatbelts are your driving personal protective equipment to mitigate collision impact on the human body and increase survivability and remember, vehicle air-bags are designed to effectively protect an occupant with their seatbelt on.”