PSTEB receives tablets to better track road crashes

The Jamaica Constabulary Force's (JCF) Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch (PSTEB) has received 115 tablet computers from the Island Traffic Authority (ITA) to support digital collection of electronic road crash data.

The tablets were presented during the National Road Safety Council's meeting at the Courtleigh Hotel & Suites in Kingston recently. The devices were procured under the United Nations Road Safety Fund Project - 'A Safe Systems Approach for Safer Roads in Jamaica' - facilitated by the Pan American Health Organization. Director of Road Safety at the ITA, Dr Shama Campbell, said the handover of the tablets marks a critical milestone in the authority's efforts to improve road safety and strengthen evidence-based decision-making in the transport sector.

"As we confront the persistent challenge of road traffic crashes, one truth remains constant - we cannot manage what we do not measure. Accurate and timely crash data is fundamental to understanding risk, designing effective interventions, and monitoring impact," she said. "Manual or paper-based data-collection methods such as the Accident Record Booklets currently being used, while once necessary, often result in delays, transcription errors, and data fragmentation. A modernised, integrated data capture process is essential for creating safer roads and more efficient transport systems."

Campbell further stated that at the centre of this initiative is the Integrated Management Information Accident Analysis Package (iMAAP) platform, a web-based crash data analysis system developed by the United Kingdom's Transport Research Laboratory to support evidence-based road-safety interventions. She said iMAAP is a globally recognised portal for capturing, analysing and mapping road-crash data.

"This modern tool allows for real-time data entry from crash sites, the use of GPS (global positioning system)-enabled mapping, the integration of police and hospital data, and the generation of detailed analytical reports." Campbell indicated that more than 200 PSTEB officers have successfully trained in the use of the iMAAP platform for crash data entry, as part of the UN project. She noted that the next phase of implementation will focus on training officers to use iMAAP's analytical tools.