Due to the growing number of road traffic victims in Suriname, this topic is recently discussed extensively and placed high on the political agenda there. Compared to the Netherlands, the traffic in Suriname is approximately five times less safe. Some figures of traffic safety in Suriname show that the situation is concerning. In 2010 the total amount of people demanding emergency help at the AZP due to traffic accidents was 5016. Compared with statistics from 2008, this number has increased with 35%, as in 2008 the quantity was 3697 people. Looking at the number of fatalities in 2003, the number was 62 and in 2010 it was 87, showing an increase of over 40% in eight years. This means an average increase of the number of deaths by about 5% per year in that period. When only the statistics of fatalities are taken into account, it is clear that the number of fatalities in 2003 (62 deaths) compared to 2007 (90 deaths) shows an increasing trend. In 2009 there was a peak of 112 fatalities, followed by a decrease to 87 deaths in 2010. Until 2012 it remained steady with 86 deaths in 2011 and 83 in 2012. From these figures, an upward trend can be observed for the number of road accidents and fatalities in Suriname. Road accidents are tragic events that often cause untold human suffering. In addition, every death is one too many. Traffic and road safety are important for the Surinamese and in particular road safety remains a "hot issue" in Suriname. This research focuses on the urban agglomeration Greater Paramaribo, which is assumed the districts of Paramaribo and the adjacent Wanica. Due to the realization of the bridge across the Suriname river, the urban area within the range of Paramaribo is enlarged to the western part of the district of Commewijne. Due to the low number of deaths (5 in 2010) in Commewijne that part is not included in the geographical demarcation of this research. Chapter 3 of this study emphasizes further on the geographical demarcation. Regarding traffic types, this research focuses on the road traffic of Greater Paramaribo. Road traffic is divided into two types: motorized traffic (cars, motorcycles, mopeds) and nonmotorized traffic (pedestrians and cyclists). Given the scope of this study, the design measures are primarily focused on infrastructural aspects. Besides this, guidelines for possible generic measures are presented, such as in the area of enforcement and education. The degree of traffic safety can be expressed in many different ways. Direct variables that can be used to measure traffic accidents are the number of accidents or divided in terms of the number of fatalities or the number of victims with varying degrees of severity. In this study, the severity of the accident in terms of the number of fatalities is chosen as an indicator for traffic safety. In Greater Paramaribo, only the number of fatalities is registered and published by the authorities. (Author/publisher)
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