Chief Secretary: Recent road deaths traumatic to Tobago

THA Chief Secretary Orville London has extended his sympathies to the family and friends of Tobago’s four latest accident victims.

Speaking at Wednesday’s (December 21) post Executive Council media briefing at the Victor E Bruce Financial Complex, London said it’s been a long time since Tobago has faced a tragedy where so many young people died in road incidents.

“I want to express my condolences to the families of the four Tobagonians who would have died in accidents in recent weeks,” London said. He said hearing news of those deaths was traumatic not only to the families of the victims, but to “all of us in Tobago.”

London said he is not seeking to “cast any aspersions” on the victims, as he does not have all the details on the two accidents.

Still, he’s urging motorists to be careful on the road.

“It is a time for introspection for all of us, especially the young people, recognising how important [it is] that they should maintain some degree of control,” the Chief Secretary said.

He added that he was speaking with an expert, who said the proliferation of automatic vehicles on the road today means there aren’t the “safeguards that you had with old fashioned [manual transmission] cars.”

“Four deaths in a couple weeks is four deaths too many,” the Chief Secretary said.