Head of the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch (PSTEB) of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Gary McKenzie, is appealing to motorists to obey the rules of the road, in order to reduce traffic crashes.

In an interview with JIS News, ACP McKenzie said that in many fatal accidents which occur in Jamaica, numerous factors contribute to the outcome.

“As it relates to traffic accidents, especially those that become very serious and lead to death, we have recognised that driving at excessive speeds is a really serious issue, but most of the times the gravity of injury and the nature of damage, while speeding contributes, it is not usually the primary reason why the accident happened,” he explained.

ACP McKenzie pointed out that two major areas of concern are persons overtaking where there is a continuous white line and overtaking on approaching a bridge or a corner, which often results in a crash. He added that these are serious contributing factors, hence the appeal for fulsome compliance with the road code, including slowing down.

“We are trying our best to reduce speeding, to ensure that people understand that it does not make sense to make haste, because to make haste, you make waste, so let us slow down on the roads and abide by the road rules,” he said.

Meanwhile, statistics from the Road Safety Unit in the Ministry of Transport and Mining reveal an overall increase in fatal crashes and road fatalities.

In 2021, 483 Jamaicans died on the nation’s roads in 435 crashes. Fatal crashes and fatalities have both increased by twelve per cent when compared with 2020.

Director of the Road Safety Unit, Mrs Deidre Hudson-Sinclair, is also urging motorists and other road users to be responsible on the roads and obey the curfew hours. Statistics from the Unit reveal that fatalities during curfew hours accounted for approximately 33 per cent of the total fatalities in 2021, with 161 persons being killed in 134 fatal crashes.