More children killed on the roads

More children are dying in traffic crashes on our nation’s roadway, and, as such, the Road Safety Unit is appealing to parents and guardians to introduce their children to road safety training as early as possible.

Since the start of the year, 21 children have been killed in traffic crashes, a 91 per cent increase when compared to the 11 deaths recorded for the same period in 2015. Forty-eight per cent of the children killed since the start of the year were passengers of private motor vehicles and 24 per cent were pedestrians.

The Road Safety Unit’s plea to parents and guardians comes on the heels of the death of a seven-year-old boy in St Ann on Heroes Day.

Betty-Ann Blaine, convenor of Hear the Children’s Cry, told THE STAR that she believes there are solutions that can impact the problem in a positive way.

“I don’t think enough is being done and we should care to do a lot more. We should have a comprehensive national campaign that will reach children everywhere in schools, communities, organisations, churches consistently over a period of time. It will require will and resources and the message should be child friendly,” Blaine told THE STAR.

According to Blaine, additionally, the authorities have to do something about the lawlessness on our street.

“They (drivers) don’t care. They are not afraid of the law. Something has to be seriously done. At Hear the Children’s Cry, our message has always been two-fold, safety campaigns in schools not only for missing children but for safety,” she told our news team.

The seven-year-old boy, Kevroy Boreland, from Mansfield Green in St Ann, died from injuries he sustained after he was hit by a car.

Police reports are that Boreland was hit by a car at the intersection of Buckfield Road and the Ocho Rios bypass.

According to the Road Safety Unit, parents and guardians also need to ensure that their children wear seat belts when travelling in vehicles. Small children should be fitted in child/infant carriers, and a booster seat should be used for those who are too old for infant carriers.

Meanwhile, 305 people have been killed in 253 fatal crashes since the start of the year. Westmoreland, St Catherine, St Elizabeth, and St Andrew account for 54 per cent of the overall fatalities.