LAST Wednesday, the Jamaica Automobile Association, in association with the JN Foundation and JN General Insurance (JNGI), announced their plans to launch a series of clubs in high schools.

The JAA Junior Clubs in Schools, which has the endorsement of the Ministry of Education, will be launched with the new school year in September.

The pilot roll-out will be in 50 schools that have been indentified to be in crash hot spots.

In addressing the launch at Courtleigh Hotel in Kingston, Dr Parris Lyew-Ayee, director of the Mona Geoinformatics Institute (MGI), spoke of the statistical impact of road crashes on Jamaican youth.

He revealed that over 10 years (2000 to 2010), the MGI analysed data which showed that there were over 75,000 crashes across the island.

In detailing some of the causes of the crashes, Dr Lyew-Ayee said that drivers were the most culpable.

“Driver own error causes crashes 90 per cent of the time. The other factors are pedestrian, impaired driving, which could include tiredness and illness), environmental issues, and road construction and conditions,” Dr Lyew-Ayee said.

He said that 22 per cent of all crashes where speeding is involved prove fatal.

However, we need to see that injuries and fatalities are not the only cost when a crash occurs. In over 50,000 of the 75,000 crashes there is property damage — whether to the vehicle or to walls and road signs — and those have a cost as well,” he said.

This revelation was proffered in relation to the increase in insurance payouts after crashes.

Minister of Education Rev Ronald Thwaites, who spoke on the importance of road safety to Jamaican children, said the majority of the road users are children.

“Large numbers of our children attend schools that are considerable distances from their places of residence. The issue of zoning is seriously being considered. About 700,000 children daily use the roadways… let it be a part of the early childhood endeavour to teach proper road use,” Thwaites said.

The JAA Junior Clubs in Schools will be a youth-led service club that will advance and support mini road safety campaigns in each institution. In a broad sense, the programme aims to reduce the number and frequency of road crashes and fatalities through improved road-user behaviour; increase the awareness of, and interest in mechanical-related careers; and raise the level of enthusiasm and participation in the motor sports industry locally.

“At the end of the year (2013-2014), there will also be a National Symposium to showcase the innovation of the clubs in addressing road safety issues in their community. Each school will focus on a specific area related to road safety, which will inform their activities, define their projects and dictate their area of focus in relation to the National Symposium,” said Roger Graham, JAA Junior Clubs in Schools project co-ordinator.

Duane Ellis, general manager of the JAA, said the high schools in the pilot projet are located in close proximity to Crash Hot Spots identified by JNGI road safety signs.

“We hope to involve students in promotion and advocacy initiatives for road safety and proper road use, with the hope that they will also adopt these principles in their individual use of the roads, whether as pedestrians or motorists,” he said.

Earl Jarrett, general manager of Jamaica National Building Society and chairman of JAA, said that the programme would have an impact on the right set of road users.

“Through the JAA Junior Clubs in School programme, it is our wish that our young people will be empowered to be more conscious on our roads. We also hope that they will become part of the change, by proposing and implementing, where possible, innovative approaches to road safety and risk mitigation in their communities across the island.”

— MED