Road Safety Tours Begin September 28

In its bid to reduce accidents and fatalities on the roads, the Road Safety Unit in the Ministry of Transport, Works and Housing will be staging a series of Road Safety tours across the island.

Dubbed, ‘Walk, Ride and Drive for Life’, the four-month initiative is intended to heighten awareness of safety measures and tips that road users should practise.

“There has been quite a spate of road accidents in recent times, which have resulted in the death of people and we are hoping to use the initiative as one way of disseminating information regarding road safety, so that persons can take the requisite action to save lives,” said Senior Public Relations Officer in the Ministry, Leo McEwan, in an interview with JIS News.

The road tour will see the ministry and its partners using a road safety decorated truck to transmit the ‘road safety messages’ at various town centres with the assistance of popular personalities from the entertainment fraternity and members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).

The tour begins on Saturday, September 28 with stops at Spanish Town, Old Harbour and May Pen, then on to Port Maria, Ocho Rios and St. Ann’s Bay on October 26. The tour will continue on November 16 at Falmouth, Montego Bay and Savanna-la-Mar, then culminate on December 14 with stops in Mandeville, Santa Cruz and Black River.

Mr. McEwan outlined that there will be giveaways, brief talks by Road Safety partners and handing out of materials, such as pamphlets, brochures, flyers with information on road safety.

“We are hoping that at the end of the tours, the information that would have been garnered by the various stakeholders would empower them to be better participants in observing road safety.  The pedestrian, the driver,  the cyclist  and the general public are affected one way or another when there is an accident, therefore it is hoped that the initiative will be effective,” Mr. McEwan said.