Police enforcing traffic laws to reduce road crashes

The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is intensifying measures to reduce road crashes by strictly enforcing the road traffic laws, says Assistant Commissioner of Police, Dr Gary McKenzie.

“One of the things that has been frequently asked is what are we doing as a police force to deal with the challenge we have on the roads. Over the past five years... we have issued over 500,000 tickets yearly for offences, and these have not included arrests,” he said.

McKenzie, who is Head of the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch (PSTEB), was addressing the recent launch of National Road Safety Month 2025 at the Chambers Service Station in New Kingston.

He informed that the JCF has executed warrants where persons have disregarded charges and have failed to attend court.

“In fact, in 2024, we executed some 30,527 warrants and so far this year, we have executed some 11,544 warrants and we are not yet at half of the year. So, we are doing some work. Our intention is to ensure that we do our best to reduce the kind of misdeeds that lead to crashes on our roads,” he pointed out.

In addition, the JCF has partnered with several organisations with the aim of promoting safe use of the roads through various road-safety public education initiatives.

“We have partnered with companies, associations; we have held widely publicised meetings to educate and inform the country about the issues that have affected the ways we use the roadways. It is important to note that the efforts to improve road safety have been multifaceted and extensive. The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has been participating in a number of initiatives,” Dr. McKenzie said.

Information from the Island Traffic Authority (ITA) indicates that for the first quarter of the year (January to March), road fatalities decreased by 15 per cent, compared to the same period last year.

A total of 94 road fatalities were recorded during the period resulting from 85 fatal crashes.

While noting the reduction in fatalities, the PSTEB Head said reckless use of the road continues to account for a substantial number of crashes.

“So far this year, we have lost 165 persons who have died on all roads and this, of course, is in comparison to 179 in 2024. This is by no means anything to applaud because… over 70 per cent of those crashes are… dangerous driving – persons just driving at excessive speeds, and so they crash into poles, into trees, into concrete and they lose their lives,” Dr. McKenzie pointed out.

- JIS News

Follow The Gleaner on X and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.