Risky roads
After four die in crash, NRSC vice-chair forecasts more horror if demerit point system, other measures not urgently put in place
Published:Monday | January 12, 2026 | 12:09 AMTanesha Mundle/Staff Reporter
Vice-Chairman of the National Road Safety Council, Dr Lucien Jones, is cautioning that 2026 will be marked by further avoidable tragedy unless decisive action is taken to improve road safety and curb dangerous driving.
“[The year] 2026 is going to be filled with more disasters unless we can move quickly to get the demerit point system and other aspects of the Road Traffic Act in place, to ensure that we have safe speeds,” Jones warned.
“Our children’s lives are at stake. The lives of adults are at stake, and the country continues to suffer immeasurably because of the number of road fatalities. We have to do better than this,” he added.
The warning comes on the heels of a horrific crash along the Font Hill main road in St Elizabeth on Saturday that left four females dead, including three children, pushing road fatalities for the year to 11, already exceeding the 10 recorded at the same point last year.
The collision occurred about 5:30 p.m. and involved a black 2011 Toyota Voxy and a white 2013 Freightliner M2 106 Crew Cab utility truck, according to the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch (PSTEB) of the Jamaica Constabulary Force.
The deceased have been identified as the 30-year-old female driver of the Voxy and three passengers in that vehicle, ages 17, 12 and 10.
Terrible tragedy
In a preliminary update, the PSTEB said initial assessments suggest the crash may have resulted from a failure to keep left, excessive speed without regard to road conditions, and apparent error of judgement or negligence. Investigations are continuing.
Describing the incident as “horrific”, Jones said the loss of four lives in a single crash underscored the urgent need for decisive intervention.
“In one single crash, we have visited on this country a terrible tragedy,” he said.
Jones noted that while one report suggested the driver may have swerved to avoid a pothole, police have not confirmed that account. However, he stressed that unsafe speed appeared to be a factor.
He said the crash raised serious questions about seatbelt use, vehicle safety, and emergency response.
“If four people died in one crash, we have to wonder whether they were buckled up in front and back. Was it a safe vehicle? Did the airbags deploy? And if they did, why did four people die just like that?” Jones asked.
He reiterated that Jamaica must urgently adopt a comprehensive “safe systems” approach, addressing road conditions, driver behaviour, vehicle safety, and post-crash care.
“We cannot just focus on one aspect of road safety. We have to deal with safe speeds, safe roads, safe vehicles, safe road users, and moving people quickly from a crash to hospital,” he said.
Jones again stressed the urgency of reform, pointing to the delayed roll-out of the demerit point system as a major disappointment.
“That is the main part of the sanctions regime which can remove persistently errant drivers from the system for six months or a year. Once that becomes part of the Road Traffic Act, we expect to see a significant downturn in fatalities year after year,” he explained.
Seat belt use
He also highlighted poor seat belt compliance, particularly among rear-seat passengers, as a contributing factor to recent increases in deaths among private motor car passengers.
“People don’t think they ought to buckle up in the back, but it is the law,” he said, adding that stronger enforcement and public education are needed.
Assistant Commissioner of the Jamaica Fire Brigade, Rudolph Seaton, confirmed that firefighters had to carry out extrication to remove the bodies from the Voxy, which he said was “totally written off” in the crash. The brigade received the call about 6:29 p.m., and units from the Black River Fire Station responded.
Seaton said the driver of the utility truck sustained what appeared to be minor injuries and was taken to the hospital. He urged motorists to exercise extreme caution, especially at night.
“We continue to call on the citizenry to be extremely careful while driving, particularly at night, as many of these areas are poorly lit,” he said.
The utility truck is reportedly in Jamaica assisting with the restoration of electricity following the passage of Hurricane Melissa in October.
Jamaica recorded 373 deaths in road crashes last year, up from 365 the year before. In 2023, there were 425 road fatalities, while the highest figure on record, 488, was recorded in 2022.