Men have not fared well on the island’s roads.

During the three-year period from 2000 to 2003, 19 male drivers died for each female driver who lost her life in a traffic accident; and in 2003, men were almost twice as likely to be injured during motor vehicle accidents than females.

“It is instructive to note that the majority of these males were in the productive years of their lives,” the National Road Safety Unit pointed out in its policy document, which outlines the steps needed to slash the number of accidents by at least 25 per cent over the next four years.

National Road Safety Council executive director Paula Fletcher has several theories to explain these numbers, including simply more male than female drivers across the island. However she believes a major part of the problem is simply too much testosterone.

“A lot of them see their cars as extensions of themselves and so they would want to make a statement. It’s the whole macho thing that they need to do these things to affirm their maleness,” she said. “But it sometimes leads them six feet under or crippled.

This is not unique to Jamaica. They feel that they have to project their malehood (when they drive) – cornering in a risky way. Many times it is not a death wish as they truly believe they can handle it.”

Meanwhile, many other experts continue to blame speeding and the widespread disregard of road signs and markings for the most severe motor vehicle crashes, which are currently costing the country some $1/2 billion yearly in medical costs, plus the loss of productivity.

“The wanton disrespect for road signs and markings has been the major contributory factor that led to the occurrence of traffic accidents on our roads last year,” said Canute Hare, researcher at the Road Safety Unit.

“This disrespect contributed negatively to the safety of road users as some motorists engaged in manoeuvres that proved perilous to not only themselves but to other road users,” Hare added.

Up to a few weeks before the Christmas holidays, when three horrific traffic accidents claimed six lives each, the statistics had been encouraging.

Seventeen fewer persons had died on Jamaican roads, up to December 16, 2004, as against the previous year. Importantly too, there was a 45-per cent reduction in the number of children killed on the roads.

Planners welcome even the slightest drop in the number of road fatalities. In 2002, over 408 persons died in motor vehicle accidents, while in 2003 there was a four-per cent reduction to 391 fatalities. And even with the spate of traffic deaths over the holidays, there were 47 fewer fatalities up to December 29, 2004 as compared to the same period in 2003.

According to stats supplied by the police’s traffic headquarters, 344 people were killed in 294 fatal accidents up to December 29, 2004. The year before, 291 people had been killed during 352 fatal accidents.

While the number by itself may not seem impressive, authorities see a positive in that the reduction came at a time when there has been a significant increase in road traffic, following the deregulation of motor vehicle imports since the early 90s.

But there is one worrying new feature, highlighted by the construction of highways. Tyre failure is now projected to figure more prominently in accident statistics, as road surfaces improve but increased friction shows up faulty tyres.

While normal speed limit ranges between 50 and 80 kilometres per hour (kph) for cars, the speed limit on the highways is 110 kph.

This has implications for tyre safety and has led both the Road Safety Council and the Road Safety Unit to push for minimum tyre tread depth levels to be legalised here, authorities said.

The Road Safety Unit is also pushing to get better tyre storage regulations implemented, as it is thought that poor storage outside in the sun and the unregulated importation of used tyres contribute to dry rot of the tyres. This is a significant factor in tyre blowout caused by the friction of tyres at high speed on the hot asphalt, such as on a highway.

Based on information which the National Road Safety Policy said had been supplied by the traffic police, driver error or negligence caused 11 per cent of the accidents that took place between 2000 and 2003.

“This category is too wide and the method of data collection needs to be revamped in order to afford a more comprehensive breakdown,” the policy said. “It, however, seems to point to the fact that human behaviour and, by extension, the systems of driver education, training and certification are areas which require examination and strengthening.”

The Police Traffic Authority, which has been disaggregating the figures to determine what is most responsible for accidents in Jamaica, also found the following practices to be among the major causes of accidents on Jamaican roads in 2003:

. following too closely (17 per cent);

. improper overtaking (6 per cent);

. turning without due care (4 per cent);

. failing to keep to the near side (8 per cent);

. crossing heedlessly (6 per cent); and

. disobeying traffic lights (4 per cent).

Hare stressed that contrary to popular perception, factors like defective vehicles and bad or poorly maintained roads, said to lead to swerving to avoid potholes, were not major causes of traffic accidents.

There were only 29 cases in 2002 and 28 in 2003 in the case of bad roads, and 131 and 75 cases respectively in the case of defective vehicles.

“One should first recognise that in the Jamaican context, traffic accidents – especially those of a severe nature – tend to occur in areas where the road surface is smooth and properly asphalted. It should be noted that these crashes tend to occur on the straight roads where they are nicely laid and where potholes are minuscule,” Hare told the Sunday Observer.

As examples, he pointed to the so-called ‘black spots’ where fatal accidents are common, such as the stretch of road just outside Chedwin Park on the Old Harbour main road in St Catherine.

Hare was also convinced that driving fast during rain is a serious issue, as some drivers were not aware that vehicles could “aquaplane”, or virtually careen off the road as a result of water forming a second surface between the tyre and the asphalt.

Another factor was extremes of age – young people are the most vulnerable group, accounting for 30 per cent of fatalities, while the elderly are at risk due to diminishing physical and mental capacities.

Staff reporter Dwight Bellanfante contributed to this story

Traffic deaths January 1 to December 29, 2004

2004 —2003

Number of fatal accidents 294 —354

Number of fatalities 344 —391

Breakdown of fatalities

2004 —2003

Pedestrians 88 —119

Motorcyclists 29 —37

Pedal cyclists 45 —51

Private passenger vehicle 10 —9

(PPV) drivers Private motor carriage 68 —64

(PMC) drivers Commercial motor carriage 6 —9

(CMC) drivers Pillion passengers 11 —4

PMC passengers 69 —61

CMC passengers 5 —12

PPV passengers 18 —20

TOTAL 344 —391

Breakdown of children killed

2004 —2003

Pedestrians 15 —30

CMC passengers 0 — 3

PMC passengers 7 —10

PPV passengers 1 —3

Pillion passengers 0 —1

PMC driver 1 —0

Pedal cyclists 5 —4

TOTAL 29 —51