Road fatalities down in Jamaica

Philip Hamilton, Gleaner Writer

Fewer Jamaicans perished in motor-vehicle accidents on Jamaican roads for the period January to October this year, when compared with the same period last year.

Information from the National Road Safety Council indicated that 217 road deaths were reported between January 1 and October 4, compared to 258 fatalities last year.

The data also showed that 80 pedestrians were killed in road accidents between January 1 and October 4, 2010, representing 14 more when compared to the same period last year. Seventeen of the pedestrians killed were under 18 years old, three fewer than last year.

Road Safety Council Executive Director Paula Fletcher told The Gleaner several factors have contributed to the reduction of road fatalities, especially the higher visibility of the police on the island's roads.

"As it is now, we're experiencing an over-16 per cent decrease, which is unprecedented, as we haven't seen this in a little while," she said.

Fletcher said police, in collaboration with the Transport Authority and Island Traffic Authority, had, as part of operations, cordoned off areas heavily traversed by taxis and robot operators.

She pointed out that the council, through partnerships with the Ministry of Transport's Road Safety Unit and the Jamaica Automobile Association, had implemented successful interventions such as public education programmes to create behavioural change among motorists.

Fletcher said even fewer road fatalities can be expected when the new traffic ticketing system, which will link the police, the Inland Revenue Department and the courts to a central database containing data on traffic offenders, is implemented.

"We've been doing some projections looking at what happened last year for the last quarter, and so we're hoping that, based on the reduction we're seeing, we will come much closer to having under 300 (fatalities) this year," said Fletcher.

Head of the Police Traffic Division Superintendent Radcliffe Lewis attributed the declining fatalities so far this year to a combination of strategies and luck, noting that the police had implemented several initiatives since January 1 this year.

Frequent spot-checks

"We have spot-checks night and day, especially from midnight until 8 a.m. We also have a traffic policy during the week and on weekends, where we check persons coming from places of entertainment to ensure they are within legal alcohol limits," said Lewis.

Lewis confirmed that pedestrian deaths accounted for a major number of road fatalities, despite fewer deaths involving persons travelling in motor vehicles. "They walk out carelessly into the road, and that's what's topping the list now," noted Lewis, who at the same time urged pedestrians to be more observant when crossing streets, particularly at stop lights.

Lewis told The Gleaner the police would be extending its zero-tolerance policy currently being used in nabbing unruly taxi drivers and minibus operators to persons breaking the speed limit. He said repeat offenders will not only have their vehicles towed, but will also be required to produce a psychiatric evaluation report certifying the person's competence to own and operate a motor vehicle.