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Working Towards Zero Traffic Accidents
Thu, August 27, 2015
Within the last 2 weeks, there have been 4 traffic accidents around the country, resulting in 4 fatalities. That statistic is not lost on the Belize Road Safety Project coordinators who are still working towards reaching zero deaths and zero to traffic accidents by the year 2030. Since 2011, however, there's been an average of 56 fatalities per year.

So, it's a very ambitious goal, and so the coordinators have come up with a draft National Road Safety Master Plan. This plan seeks to engage the multitudes of Government professionals - in all areas from education to enforcement - to try and work towards that goal.

Today, the National Road Safety Committee gathered all the different traffic departments, Health, Education and Emergency personnel from around the country to discuss what the draft master plan currently looks like, and how it should be improved towards final implementation. 7News stopped by for the opening ceremonies of the workshop, and here's what the Leaders of the committee had to say:

Errol Gentle, CEO - Ministry of Works
"I am pleased to be able to deliver a few words at this opening ceremony, to review the national road safety master plan 2016/2030. The government of Belize through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development Road Safety Project has engaged with Ms. Mavis Johnson, International consultant of Canada, to coordinate the development of Belize's Road Safety Master Plan 2030. Within this master plan, it is believe that road safety vision 2030 will carry the vision towards zero deaths on Belize's roads and highways. Toward zero death means, we do not accept that fatalities and serious injuries on our roads are inevitable and acceptable and that is the reason why we refrain from saying accidents, because one would believe that accidents is bound to happen. Whilst most of road crashes or collisions are done because of faults of the drivers."

Mavis Johnson, International Road Safety Consultant
"Certainly I am a frequent traveler here, not quite often as I was, but it doesn't mean to say I am not busy working on what's important to Belizeans and over the last year I have worked on developing what I think would be a plan to carry us forward beyond where we are now right to 2030."

Today's discussion was an all-day event.

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