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Road death figures likely less than last year's
AUTO
By Patrick Foster
Friday, November 06, 2009
Road death figures this year are positioned to drop closer to the National Road Safety Council's (NRSC) below-300 target, down from the 343 registered in 2008.
With eight weeks left in 2009 road deaths are now at 275 as at November 5. The figure has evoked some optimism about attaining a figure close to 300, as last year this time traffic crashes had already claimed 282 lives.
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"If we have a low November it is possible," head of government's Road Safety Unit, Kenute Hare, told Auto yesterday.
"We have been having low months since August," he added.
Nineteen people were killed in traffic crashes in August; September had 16 deaths, while 17 died during October, Hare said.
If that trend continues, the NRSC's 300 target would be surpassed only marginally.
Traditionally, however, the end-of-year holiday season registers a high level of crashes and subsequent deaths.
Almost at the end of 2008, on December 21, the death toll jumped significantly with 14 people being killed in one horrific Portland accident.
Over the past three years, from 2006, the final quarter registered 104, 71 and 88 deaths, respectively.
Hare says that he hopes interventions by the police and the NRSC will keep the figure lower than those of previous years.
In the meantime, at the end of October the Westmoreland police division leads the death toll with 31 road fatalities. St James and St Catherine North follow with 27 each, while St Elizabeth is close behind with 26.
Clarendon with 22 fatalities and St Catherine South at 21 complete the divisions that have passed 20 deaths.
In the teens are Hanover, St Andrew South and St Ann, all at 15, and Trelawny with 13 and St Mary at 16 deaths.
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