Motorists Urged to Exercise Caution on the Roads This Holiday Season

The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is urging motorists to exercise caution and sound judgement as they traverse the nation’s roadways this festive season.

Speaking at a JIS Think Tank on Thursday (December 14), Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Gary McKenzie, said that many dangerous driving practices become more commonplace during the Yuletide season, creating an unsafe traffic environment.

“Vehicles are sometimes overloaded, both public passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles, and those are things that we will not tolerate. We must ensure that vehicles are utilised in a manner for which they were lawfully designated because we have seen in [the past] where we have had very serious crashes where multiple persons have been injured and have died,” he lamented.

ACP McKenzie, who is head of the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch (PSTEB), further cautions drivers to be alert as they conduct business and keep valuables out of sight.

“We encourage persons… not to wear excess jewelry, not to put valuables on car seats, not to park in dark areas. Do your shopping within the daytime and ensure that you shop in groups. Do not leave your car, walk away for a distance and then close it; close it and check your doors before you move. If you see anything suspicious, you must report it to the police,” he advised.

With several traffic changes expected to be put into place across the island throughout the holiday period and a high volume of vehicles on the roadways, ACP McKenzie is urging compliance with police directives “because we will find that some roads will be congested, and we will have to detour persons to other roads”.

He said that the JCF will be present on main roads leading from major entertainment events, during the period, conducting breathalyser tests where suspicious movement of vehicles is identified and persons will be prosecuted for careless and dangerous driving.

“We hope that we can have a reduction of serious crimes, and of course, a reduction of injuries through movement of vehicles this Christmas. And so, it is our responsibility to ensure that we take the guidance and we abide by what the law says,” said ACP McKenzie.