132 road fatalities recorded since January

By Kimone Witter    

 

Vice Chairman of the National Road Safety Council, Dr. Lucien Jones says the number of deaths on Jamaica's roads has surpassed the figure for the same period last year.

 

Dr. Jones says up to Friday morning, there were 132 road fatalities compared with 130 in 2023.

 

He says this is a significant change from the optimistic start of 20 per cent below last year's figures. 

 

"So we're heading back to another year, if decisive action is not taken, where over 400 precious souls in Jamaica will die on our roads. It therefore means that for those who have died, our actions are too late and for those who are waiting to die, sadly, time is running out. We need therefore as a nation to decide precisely how we are going to rescue Jamaica," he urged. 

 

Dr. Jones said when the NRSC meets with its chairman, Prime Minister Andrew Holness, in May, it plans to put forward proposals to help curb the issue.

 

Two road fatalities were recorded in Westmoreland and St. Catherine on Thursday.

 

In the first incident that occurred about 12:20 a.m., a 28-year-old man reportedly lost control of a Nissan Sunny motorcar along the Paradise main road and collided into a concrete wall.

 

About 9:25 p.m., a woman was hit by a police service vehicle as she attempted to cross the Port Henderson road in Portmore.

 

It's reported that the 43-year-old woman ran across the road into the path of the service vehicle, a Mitsubishi Outlander, in the vicinity of Germaine Road.

 

Last year, Jamaica recorded 425 road fatalities.