Gov’t Focused on Building Road Safety Culture

Energy, Transport and Telecommunications Minister, Hon. Daryl Vaz, is focused on public education to drive behaviour change and build a road safety culture across Jamaica.

He noted that while investments are being made in building a more structured and data-driven system, strengthening regulatory oversight and expanding the role of technology, these measures “will not fix the problem on [their] own”.

“These efforts must be reinforced by continuous public education and road-safety awareness islandwide, such as the school tours led by the Island Traffic Authority, to instil responsible road use habits from an early age and support long-term cultural change on our roads,” he said.

“Without behaviour change, accountability, and consistent enforcement under the Road Traffic Act and Regulations, we will continue to see the same outcomes,” he contended.

Minister Vaz was addressing the 2026 Grennell’s Driving School Driver and Traffic Safety Workshop and Expo on Monday (May 4) at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.

Held under the theme ‘Fix the Risk’, the event aimed to foster safer road use through awareness, action, and accountability. It included workshops covering topics such as the emotional/physical costs of crashes, artificial intelligence (AI) in transport, and defensive driving techniques.

Minister Vaz endorsed the event, which sought to equip stakeholders with the tools and knowledge to reduce risks in real and measurable ways.

“This is exactly the type of engagement we need more of, with Government, the private sector, non-governmental organisations (NGO) working together in a focused, solution-driven and outcome-oriented way,” he said.

Noting that there have been 88 road fatalities from 77 fatal crashes up to May 1, the Minister said that while the figure represents a reduction of 36 deaths compared to the same period last year, “we are still losing far too many Jamaicans to preventable crashes on our roads”.

He said that at the core of road safety is responsibility, noting that too many of the road fatalities are linked to speeding, improper overtaking, and failure to observe basic traffic rules.

“If we are serious about reducing fatalities, then we must address those decisions at the level of the individual, organisational, and systemic level,” he stressed.

“It requires a shared commitment from drivers, from businesses, from regulators, and from every road user. The road ahead is clear. We must reduce fatalities. We must improve behaviour and we must build a safer and more accountable road environment. Road Safety is everybody’s responsibility,” he said.

He implored all road users to act responsibly, obey the Road Traffic Act and Regulations, respect speed limits, avoid distracted and impaired driving, and exercise patience and courtesy on the roads.

“Let us each do our part to protect,” he urged.