Minister of Transport Robert Montague appealed

yet again for motorists to exercise greater care in the use of the roads in

order to prevent further casualties from road crashes.

He noted that there have been over 300

fatalities and thousands more persons injured in motor vehicle crashes since

the start of the year.

“Take time on the roads,” the minister pleaded.

“Even as we are faced with the highest road

fatality rate in over a decade, it is not too late. We have 63 days left to

ensure that not one more fatality occurs on our roads…with dedicated effort and

consistent discipline, we can change the culture displayed on the nation’s

roads,” he added.

Montague made his petition for discipline on the nation’s roads at the opening of the ninth annual ‘On the Road on the Job’ International Safety Workshop, organised by Grennell’s Driving School at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on Wednesday (October 30).

He said that safety on the nation’s roads

should be everyone’s responsibility, “whether you are a driver, or you are

being driven, a pedestrian, motorcyclist or cyclist”.

“We do not take safety personally. It is

always not applicable to [us]. We hear about the crashes; we have become immune

to it. It is always ‘it won’t happen to me’, it is somebody else; but what

happens when it happens to you?” he questioned.

“Each time you go into that vehicle, click your

seatbelt. How many of us cry and mourn at funerals because our loved ones lost

their lives in a road crash, but yet we go back in the funeral procession and

speed because [we believe] it won’t happen to us?” he further queried.

The minister also urged persons to desist from the dangerous practice of drinking and driving.

He said that the Government has been taking

proactive steps to address the issue of road safety, including the passage of

the New Road Traffic Act, which modernises the legislative framework dealing

with this matter.

In the meantime, Montague commended

Grennell’s Driving School for its continued efforts and support towards safety

in Jamaica, both on the road and in the workplace.

“The Government of Jamaica is grateful for the hand you play in making our country a safer place to drive and to work,” he said.

The workshop addressed environmental

health, road and workplace safety issues confronting individuals, businesses,

communities and the country at large, while challenging citizens to take

responsibility for the well-being of the society and the environment.

It explored policy, best practices and

innovations across industries, and provided the opportunity to discuss key

issues, share ideas, and learn from local and international safety experts.

The event brought together health, safety

and environment professionals from diverse industries, including bauxite,

petroleum, construction, manufacturing, waste and environmental management, and

security and transportation.