Road death numbers down

Jamaica has seen a decrease in the number of road crashes and fatalities compared to the corresponding period last year.

According to data from the Road Safety Unit in the transport ministry, 264 lives have been lost in 245 fatal collisions up to August 23. This marks an 11 per cent reduction in deaths, while fatal crashes have decreased by 16 per cent. The unit is urging heightened caution by all road users while navigating the roadways or else they will be caught and held responsible. Dr Lucien Jones, vice-chairman of the National Road Safety Council (NRSC), noted that the council lobbied the Government to pass the new Road Traffic Act, which is one of NRSC's functions.

"It took a long time for the Road Traffic Act and regulations to be passed. But since it has been rolled out, we have requested public education which is now being organised out of the Office of the Prime Minister. I think there is more to come through the ministry of transport because when you are going to introduce a new law, you have to advise, warn and educate the public about the new law, and that is one of the things we were heavily involved in," Jones said. The new Act came into effect in February.

Jones said the NRSC is also advocating for cameras "because the police can't be at every place".

"Hopefully, based on the recent discussions we have had with members of the national security ministry which is responsible for it, sometime between the end of this year and March next year we should have cameras operating in the first phase to detect speeding and red light breaches," he said.

Regarding other aspects of road safety, the council focuses on ensuring the complete implementation of the Act's provisions. One of the key ones is the use of the demerit point system which is overseen by the Island Traffic Authority.

"If you consistently break the law and you get demerit points adding up to a certain number, you can have your licence suspended. It will force them [motorists] to conform more to driving carefully on the road. The other one that was pronounced on by [justice] minister [Delroy] Chuck recently was for them to move from paper-based to electronically issued warrants. When you break the law and you get a ticket, you have a certain time to pay at the tax office. If you don't pay, the next step is the courts and if you don't pay at the courts, then a warrant is issued for your arrest," Jones said