Marigot:--- The Gendarmes started a road safety awareness operation especially around schools. The operation which began on January 7th will end on February 18th, 2013. A press release from the Gendarmerie states that the Commandant of the Gendarmerie of Guadeloupe instigated the operation due to the amount of young people that have lost their lives while there are a number of people who are permanently injured because they did not practice the use of road safety equipments properly. The controllers will place special focus on the use of seat belts, helmets, and the use of car seats for minors.
The operation will be structured in two phases, one being prevention and awareness which will last until January 18th, 2013. The second part of the operation will then become repression which will commence on January 21st.
In the year 2012, the Gendarmes reported that among the five people that lost their lives on the road on the French side of the island, three of them were drivers of two wheel vehicles (motorbikes). Based on statistics from 2010 to 2012, eleven drivers and passengers of two wheel vehicles have lost their lives on public roads, while 52 people using the same type of transportation were injured some of whom have suffered lifelong injuries. Due to the high figures it became clear to the Gendarmerie that they needed to place focus on the importance of road safety equipments, focus will be placed especially on motorcycle users. The current action also aims to provide parents with important knowledge on how to seat their children at the back of a motorcycle.