Three major thoroughfares in Suriname – Indira Gandhiweg, Martin Luther Kingweg, and Garnizoenspad – have emerged as the country’s most accident-prone routes, registering a disproportionately high share of severe and fatal traffic collisions, prompting a data-driven initiative to improve road safety across the nation.
The Verkeersveiligheidsinstituut (VVI, or Road Safety Institute of Suriname) has launched a comprehensive mapping project to catalog high-risk roads and dangerous intersections using real-world traffic collision data. The compiled insights are designed to enable the Ministry of Public Works and Spatial Planning (OWRO) to implement targeted, evidence-based interventions rather than relying on broad, unfocused upgrades.
Purcy Landveld, Deputy Director for Data, Education and Outreach at VVI, confirmed that initial analysis of collected incident reports has flagged the three routes for urgent prioritization. The institute is currently conducting detailed black spot analyses to pinpoint exactly which intersections and road segments carry the highest collision risk, rather than generalizing risk across entire routes.
This data-centric approach is rooted in the reality that Suriname’s traffic landscape is rapidly evolving: the total number of registered vehicles continues to rise, overall mobility levels are increasing, and road user behavior is also shifting over time. VVI’s core goal through this project is to drive long-term, structural reduction in the number of traffic injuries and fatalities across the country.
OWRO is already moving forward to act on VVI’s data, with plans to conduct targeted investigations and infrastructure upgrades at high-risk sites. Lucretia Beeldstroo, Deputy Director for Traffic and Mobility at OWRO, noted that a formal Terms of Reference has already been finalized for the project. A competitive tender process will be launched to select engineering firms to carry out detailed assessments of Indira Gandhiweg and Martin Luther Kingweg, the two highest-priority routes. Assessments will go beyond just reviewing past collision data to examine underlying conditions that may increase crash risk.
To capture an accurate picture of traffic dynamics, new surveillance cameras will be installed at busy, high-risk intersections to track traffic flow patterns and identify dangerous maneuvers by road users. Evaluations will also cover multiple infrastructure factors, including vehicle speed limits, road lighting and visibility, road marking quality, pedestrian crossing facilities, and right-of-way protocols at intersections. Following assessments, immediate low-cost upgrades will also roll out across multiple sites: new road markings will be added, and missing or outdated traffic signs will be replaced to improve clarity for road users. Beeldstroo emphasized that the ministry is pursuing all feasible improvements within existing budget and resource constraints to cut collision risk.
Landveld, however, stresses that infrastructure upgrades alone cannot solve Suriname’s road safety crisis. A cohesive, effective national road safety policy requires sustained cross-sector collaboration between government ministries and all relevant stakeholder agencies, he says. VVI is positioning itself as a central convener to bring all parties together, translating raw traffic data into actionable, site-specific safety measures.
“That is VVI’s core mission: bring all stakeholders to the table, turn raw traffic data into concrete interventions, and work collaboratively to build safer roads for all Surinamese road users,” Landveld said.