TWO DIE IN CRASHES

Two individuals lost their lives in separate road traffic accidents yesterday morning in Cocorite and Valencia, Trinidad and Tobago.

One of the victims was identified as Transport Officer Keone Brathwaite. The second victim had not been positively identified up to late yesterday. The first incident occurred before 6 a.m. along the Audrey Jeffers Highway in Cocorite, involving a motorcycle. Details surrounding this collision were still being gathered by police.

The second fatal accident took place around 7:13 a.m. on the "Valencia Stretch" of the Eastern Main Road. Police reported that Brathwaite was riding his motorcycle when he collided with a Honda Vezel that was allegedly overtaking at the time. CCTV footage of this incident has been obtained as investigations continue.

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You see how much road carnage going on? We actually are progressing in the right direction, 42% less than this year and 51% less for serious RTAs, but it is still too much.

The Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation expressed condolences for Brathwaite's passing, recognizing his dedicated service. Transport Minister Eli Zakour and the ministry's staff acknowledged his professionalism and commitment to the transport sector.

This tragedy follows recent concerns about road safety. Last week, Commissioner of Police Allister Guevarro advocated for doubling fines to combat road recklessness. Despite a reported reduction in fatal and serious road traffic accidents this year, Guevarro stated that the number of fatalities remained unacceptable, lamenting the loss of life that occurred over a recent weekend, which had impacted the overall reduction statistics.

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Just imagine if this weekend had not happened? We would have been 50%.