THE Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is calling on motorists to exercise caution when traversing the public roadways during the Christmas season.

Speaking at a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) think tank on Monday, head of the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch (PSTEB) Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gary McKenzie said the Yuletide season is usually marked with increased activity on the public roads.

“The higher rate of business on the roadways brings benefits across the country. However, what we have seen on our roads is that we have had some very unfortunate situations in the form of multiple crashes that have claimed the lives of persons, so one of the first things that we need to do is to consider the fact that there are far more persons nowadays using the roadways,” he explained.

SSP McKenzie urged business people and entrepreneurs to be wary of the dangers of rushing while conducting business.

“At this time, persons that drive for profit, such as public passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles, these drivers and owners try to maximise on the benefits of this hectic season, so persons seek to make more trips than they normally do; therefore, there is a tendency to be hasty on the roadways. We have to be patient and slow down to reduce the number of crashes that tend to happen,” he noted.

According to SSP McKenzie, citizens must be mindful of the impact of recent weather activities on the state of the country’s roads.

“We must be reminded that we are coming out of a situation where we have had very heavy rainfall that has affected some of our roads. Some amount of the repair work has been done but there is still quite a bit that needs to be done, so it is very important for citizens to recognise this,” he added.