Road Safety of Paramount Importance says Transport Minister

Transport and Works Minister, Hon. Mike Henry, is advising motorists and other road users to be particularly careful approaching the end of the year, with all the festivities and hype the period normally brings, which usually gets played out somewhat in terms of poor driving habits and other miss-use of the roadways.
In noting reports on the tragic accident in St. Ann earlier this week, which resulted in five fatalities and over 30 other persons sustaining injuries; along with the bizarre loss of a student’s life on a bus in Clarendon earlier this week, Minister Henry said there were reports that careless driving played a critical part in the St. Ann incident, and carelessness was written all over the Clarendon tragedy. The St. Ann incident cemented the country’s failure to meet the Below 300 target for road fatalities this year.
The Minister said the time had come for road users to put themselves into the frame of mind of the relatives of the victims of fatal crashes “and begin to understand and accept and that this business of callous driving habits and other irresponsible use of the roadways is simply robbing us of loved ones whom we would love to be still with us.” Additionally, he said the bad habits were costing the country dearly in terms of health services and unnecessary funeral costs. Families have spent over $100 million across Jamaica to bury their relatives this year.
Minister Henry noted that the Road Safety Unit in the Ministry had pointed to speeding, careless overtaking and inadequate use of safety devices such as seatbelts, as three of the main factors contributing to the high rate of road fatalities annually. He therefore called upon all drivers and passengers to wear seatbelts every time, including back seat passengers in both private and public passenger vehicles.
Since the start of the year, 26 children have been killed in traffic crashes. Eight of these children were passengers, four in private motor cars, three in taxis and one in a bus. Most of the children passengers were in the back seat or other seats, but five of them were thrown from the vehicles.
“This must stop. I am profoundly concerned about the non-use of seatbelt and child restraint systems, thus I am calling upon the Jamaica Constabulary Force to enforce the Protective Devices Legislation of 1999, that mandates that all passengers, whether they are in taxis or private motor cars, must wear their seatbelts every time,” insisted the Minister.
“I also use this opportunity to beseech taxi operators and their associations to ensure that both their back seat and front seat passengers are attired with seatbelts prior to moving off. The wanton disregard with respect to the usage of seatbelts in taxis must stop,” declared Minister Henry.
Additionally, he said indiscipline driving among youthful persons ranging from teenagers to the early 30s, had long been a major concern of the Road Safety Unit. Mr. Henry pointed to a recent police report of wantonly careless driving among a group of unlicensed youngsters promoting a dance in the Corporate Area, describing the incident as a wake-up call of sorts for road users.
“We need people to begin to appreciate that the more we as individuals focus on doing our part in fostering road safety, the more of us will be around for this Christmas and beyond,” added the Minister.