Pedestrian deaths start the year
AS the first week in 2011 draws to a close, pedestrians are again at the forefront of traffic fatalities.
Last year pedestrians topped the fatality list with 116 killed from a total of 310 deaths.
Two pedestrians were killed and four injured in a grisly Old Hope Road, Kingston, crash when a motorist mowed down the group at a bus stop on January 3, continuing the worrying trend into 2011.
The traffic death toll now stands at two compared to five over the same period in 2010, according to data from the transport ministry’s Road Safety Unit (RSU).
The 310 that have so far died from traffic collisions in 2010, while surpassing the National Road Safety Council’s ‘Below 300’ target is nonetheless down from the 347 killed in 2009.
In 2008, the council engaged a Below 300 campaign but has not since been able attain its target.
“We again appeal to the public to help as we make another try to attain the below 300 target,” RSU director Kenute Hare commented yesterday.
The RSU is a member of the NRSC which also includes representation from the ministries of health and national security, as well as the private sector.
