St Ann leads in road crashes

Alessandro Boyd, Gleaner Writer

AN ASSESSMENT of motor-vehicle accidents across the country has found that St Ann is the leading parish for collisions, accounting for 143 fatalities since 2000. The study found that head-on collisions accounted for most of the accidents in St Ann.

The Mandela Highway, in the vicinity of Central Village, St Catherine, has recorded 743 accidents in the last 11 years, resulting in 34 deaths.

Drivers leaving their lanes and overtaking improperly are responsible for 18.7 per cent of the crashes in Jamaica, while speeding is the number-one reason for road fatalities.

These statistics were released by director of the Mona GeoInformatics Institute, Dr Parris Lyew-Ayee, who carried out an assessment of motor-vehicle crashes in Jamaica over the past 11 years. Lyew-Ayee hopes the study will help stakeholders in their search for solutions to road-safety issues.

300+ killed annually

Jamaica has recorded more than 300 traffic deaths per annum in the last decade. Last year's death toll of 303 was the lowest since 1999, which saw 295 fatalities. Pedestrians accounted for nearly 40 per cent of these deaths.

"Pedestrians are victims, but they often make themselves the victims in most of our fatalities, putting themselves at risk by walking in the road when there is a sidewalk, walking against traffic, and even worse, crossing Highway 2000," said Lyew-Ayee.

He also took note of the vendors who occupy the space on the sidewalk causing pedestrians to walk in the road.