PM Signs Road Safety Petition

Prime Minister Bruce Golding the morning of Feb. 22 signed a petition calling on the United Nations to agree on a General Assembly Resolution to reduce road deaths and injuries caused by road accidents.
The petition is part of a global initiative which is being spearheaded locally by the Jamaica Automobile Association and Jamaica National Building Society.
Mr. Golding said he welcomed any measure that would encourage responsible road use by motorists and pedestrians. He said the regulations would have to be enforced and sanctions applied in instances where road users fail to comply. He said the National Road Safety Council of which he is the chair, would shortly be announcing some initiatives to stem the high incidents of road traffic violations and accidents that sometimes result in death or serious injury.
The Make Roads Safe petition calls for a $300 Million 10 year global action plan to improve road safety in developing countries. It is also seeking funding to the tune of 10 per cent of the development budget of developing countries from multilateral lending and donor agencies. The campaign will also seek to raise public awareness about the global problem of road deaths which is somewhere in the region of 3000 deaths per day. Approximately 500 children die daily around the globe as a result of road traffic accidents.
Mr. Earl Jarrett, General Manager of Jamaica National Building Society and Allan Beckford, General Manager of the Jamaica Automobile Association, were on hand to witness the signing.