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Barbara O'Sullivan: Safety comes first
Monday, May 11, 2009
SHE likes to organise. That has been her consistent theme since Barbara O'Sullivan started out as secretary/manager of what was then a small Jamaican automobile club in 1994 and before, in her previous roles.
"I love what I do," she says, with her ever-present smile. Her passion is what inspires a deep devotion to the safety and welfare of the country's road users.
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| O'Sullivan manages the JAA's safety thrust and its member benefits. |
O'Sullivan started at the Jamaica Automobile Association (JAA), after working in the civil service, sugar estates, bauxite industry and a building society. But there has been one consistent theme throughout her career - "I was always interested in administrative work," she says.
As the JAA's administrative officer, she supervises its safety projects, membership discount programme and maintains relations with the auto club's international partners. The focus is heavily on safety.
"We will do whatever we can to curtail the carnage on the roads," she states. "We want to make Jamaican roads safer."
It is a challenging task; however the number of road deaths in the island has been gradually decreasing since 2002, she notes. This achievement is heartening, given the fact that there has been a steady increase in the number of registered vehicles on the roads.
Even more heartening has been the significant decrease in child fatalities between 1991 and 2007, following major safety campaigns and improved public awareness. The JAA, a member of the National Road Safety Council, joined with the Police Traffic Unit to host road safety demonstrations, to teach children good road safety habits and show them how they should use pedestrian crossings correctly.
The simple act of repainting pedestrian crossings to ensure they are clearly delineated has helped improve safety and several have now been upgraded.
"Two years ago the association donated a truck to the Police Traffic Unit for its school's safety programme, complete with props which simulate features of major roadways, to help students learn proper road usage techniques," O'Sullivan explains.
Several technologies can enhance road safety, but ultimately, few are as effective as a focus on improving driver capabilities. The JAA has therefore established a training course for defensive driving to help improve driving skills, she adds.
The automobile club has for years sustained a road safety awareness campaign to educate Jamaicans about useful safety habits. One important aspect of this is the distribution of thousands of 'Think Before You Drive' booklets outlining road safety techniques.
"I am very interested in the Make Roads Safe Campaign," O'Sullivan says. "It was launched in 2008, and is part of a wider campaign to improve road safety internationally."
It helps that as the JAA Club Correspondent, her job involves handling programmes with the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and maintaining contact with developments in the American Automobile Association.
She is currently coordinating the JAA's 2009 safety campaign, carried out in conjunction with the FIA, which aims to push the death toll on the roads below the 280 mark, compared with the 341 road deaths last year. "We believe that public education is the first step in bringing about positive changes in the attitudes of Jamaicans to road use," she says.
In that regard, the JAA has been providing public safety demonstrations, booklets, advertising and information to the media, as part of its outreach programme. It also supports public forums for educational purposes.
When Prime Minister Bruce Golding signed the JAA/FIA 'Make Roads Safe' petition in 2008, he was one of over 11,000 Jamaicans to endorse calls for the United Nations' action to recognise road fatalities as a constraint to development and to fund initiatives to improve road safety, especially in developing countries. O'sullivan says she is especially proud of participating in that initiative to amass the signatures.
Her road safety focus goes beyond accident prevention, however. From its foundation in 1924, the JAA has played a key role in shaping the island's overall automotive landscape.
A revitalised roadside assistance programme to help motorists in difficulty has been critical to the objective of making the roadways safe. The JAA offers a comprehensive package of services to automobile owners including breakdown and accident assistance, chauffeur service, advice and support to members on motor vehicle matters, O'Sullivan explains.
New products, services, ownership and management structure have transformed the members club O'Sullivan came to, some 15 years ago. The bright yellow JAA vans, motorbikes and mobile offices and accident help desks provide more than a splash of colour to the island's roadways; they provide an essential service for needy motorists, she says.
"People are recognising the JAA for what it is," she says. "We are here to serve road users."
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