By Zaya Williams
Similar to the rise in crime rates, incidents involving fire and traffic have also seen an uptick in 2023, albeit modestly.
Recent data reveals that in 2022, there were 2379 traffic collisions, while in 2023, the figure increased slightly to 2448, representing a 2.9 percent rise.
Despite the increase in accidents, the number of fatalities was one less than the previous year, with 10 individuals losing their lives in car crashes in 2023 compared to 11 in 2022.
The unfortunate fatalities in 2023 include Bram Sanderson, a Dominican cyclist who died on August 13 on Sydney Walling Highway, Tyrese Benjamin, who lost his life on September 1 in a car accident, Police Constable Robert Dyer, who died on September 4, 2023, while riding a motorcycle on Sir Sydney Walling Highway, and Troy Strunkey, who succumbed on October 15 on the same road, also on a motorcycle.
On the fire incident front, there were 384 calls last year, just three more than in 2022. However, house fires saw a substantial increase from 46 in 2022 to 88 in 2023.
The Superintendent of the Fire Department highlighted the need for laddered trucks during a Cabinet meeting, citing the changing landscape of construction in Antigua and Barbuda.
He told the Cabinet that many new buildings are no longer single-storied, necessitating updated firefighting equipment.
Please don’t forget the loss of the cyclist André Simon, hit by a car and dead in June after 1 year of pain