KINGSTON, Jamaica — Chief of Defence Staff Lieutenant General Rocky Meade has ordered members of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) to slow down while driving.

In recent weeks, JDF vehicles have been seen driving at no more than 40 miles per hour prompting speculation that they had been adjusted so that they could not exceed that speed.

But Meade told members of the media yesterday that while the vehicles can be driven faster his soldiers have to explain why they exceeded the speed limit he has established.

“Over the past year we have had a spate of very serious accidents, one resulting in the death of a soldier and others resulting in many injuries.  So I have imposed a restriction on the speed that the vehicles can go under normal circumstances, though the vehicle commander still has the ability to increase the speed as necessary if the circumstances warrant,” said Meade.

“So if he is in a security operation and has to move quickly, if they are responding to an emergency they can move quickly.  The vehicle commander can make a decision based on the circumstances but they will have to justify why they were speeding afterwards,” added Meade.

He said soldiers who fail to adhere to his rules governing driving on the roads will face consequences but refused to say what these consequences would be.

Arthur Hall