Transport Ministry seeks to improve road-safety systems

The Ministry of Science, Energy, Telecommunications, and Transport is seeking to improve road-safety systems as part of ongoing efforts to reduce the number of road fatalities and accidents on the nation's roadways.

Portfolio Minister Daryl Vaz said a critical aspect of improved safety systems is ensuring that safe vehicles are being operated on the nation's roads. Vaz was addressing the launch of the 'Crash Free 2023 Defensive Driving Workshop and Road Safety Expo' at the Transport offices in Kingston on Tuesday.

He said the ministry and its partners are working to ensure that motor vehicles, in the near future, are equipped with side-impact airbags, electronic stability controls, crumple zones, seatbelts, roof strength, anti-lock braking systems, and event data recorders (black boxes). Vaz said these improved national road-safety systems are in accordance with the United Nations Safe Systems approach, adding that the ministry is seeking to achieve these targets by 2030, when the UN Sustainable Development Goals officially come to an end.

"We are fully committed to reducing our road fatalities in half by then, by ensuring the relevant measures are thoroughly implemented," he said.

Some 173 persons have been killed in 160 fatal crashes since the start of the year. This is a 12 per cent reduction in the number of fatalities compared to the corresponding period in 2022. Fatal crashes are down by nine per cent when compared with the same period last year. Motorcyclists account for 31 per cent of the road users killed since the start of the year.