Road safety council aiming for below 400 crash fatalities

Although there have already been 22 crash-related deaths in the first 28 days of the year, this represents a 24 per cent reduction compared to the corresponding period in 2023.

Twenty-nine persons had perished by this time last year, which represented another reduction from 2022 with 39 deaths. But Jody-Jay Todd, of the Island Traffic Authority, told THE STAR that the aim is not just to reduce crash fatalities by 50 per cent, as stipulated by the World Health Organization (WHO), but to bring crash fatalities to zero.

"That's our ultimate aim because every single death is a family losing somebody ... so if we can help another person or find ways that we can reduce collisions, reduce deaths as stakeholders, as a [transport] ministry, as an organisation, then why not? I wouldn't say it's far-fetched," Todd said, while noting that the numbers are trending downwards.

But vice-chair of the National Road Safety Council, Dr Lucien Jones, told THE STAR that the goal needs to be to first get below 400 deaths annually.

"I don't think realistically we can drop from 425 (last year's total) into the 200s ... to move from 425 to 200 is a big act," Jones said.

"Our goal is determined by two things, what we think we can achieve and what we are mandated to do by WHO. Right now our first target is to get below 400 this year because for the last few years we have been above 400," he added.

Still, he opined that with improvements like electronic ticketing machines, there could be a significant reduction in the number of crash fatalities.

"This is a game changer in terms of behaviour change and that's one of the things that can make a big difference ... because the movement of information from the police on the ground to the tax office, to the courts will be much faster and much more efficient and much more accurate," Jones said, adding that the aim is to implement more technology, including cameras that detect traffic violations as "We can't have a policeman on every corner".

- K.T.