PM speaking on the heels of a week of tragic road accidents

Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre

On the heels of a spate of horrific accidents on the island’s roads, Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre has come out with strong words to condemn what he says is widely avoidable.

The St. Lucia Prime Minister, who is also the Minister for National Security, was visibly uneasy as he addressed the fatality of a toddler in a recent tragic road accident. The tragic accident took place Saturday on the Vieux Fort / Laborie Highway where 4-year-old Ricki Samuel, after being transported to St. Jude’s, succumbed to his injuries. PM Pierre, who had consolatory words for the family of the toddler was immovable in his thoughts that tragic road accidents are widely avoidable. “I want to say one thing to the drivers in this country, and I want us to also stop making excuses for recklessness. I am not a Judge, nor am I the jury or even the police but I think we drive too recklessly and at speeds that are not conducive to the roads we have in this country,” he explained. The Prime Minister went on to identify driving under the influence as another contributing factor to the many road accidents across the island.

Conversations have already begun with regards to legislation to guide the future with additional conversations with the police and the attorney general among others.

In recent weeks, the police have recorded major road accidents in many locations around the island including Vieux Fort, Castries / Gros Islet Highway, and Riviere Mitan.

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Over the last few years St. Lucia has not experienced any major respite of note although the prime minister is insistent that St. Lucia did see a lull in recent times. The year-to-date figures presented recently by the hierarchy of the Royal St. Lucia Police Force {RSLPF} show a decrease from 4161 reported accidents to 3815 as of September 2025. In the Serious Collisions column 189 were recorded so far this year as compared to 241 in 2024. The RSLPF also reported that the 2024 statistics showed 20 road fatalities as compared to 10 as of September 2025, a number that must now be revisited due to recent incidents.

When pressed for a reason why the St. Lucia had taken so long to go the legislative route for more stringent measures to deal with this scourge the Prime Minister admitted that it had taken too long but was adamant that the time to deal with it was now. “The fact is we have not done it and we need to do it immediately and we’re moving forward as I said we are going to have discussions with the police but I agree with you that this recklessness on the roads should have been stopped a long time ago,” said Prime Minister Pierre.

He called on all St. Lucian to exercise responsibility when traversing the island roadways. He indicated that it would be useless to compare St. Lucia to other territories if patience and responsibility were not the hallmarks of the motoring public.