News broke last week that, up to December 8, a total of 402 people had died in motor vehicle crashes on Jamaican roads, since January 1.

The figure was said to be two per cent down when compared to the similar period in 2019, but way more than the 300-fatality target set by road safety experts and advocates.

We are told that, up to December 8 this year, pedestrians, pillion riders, motorcyclists, and pedal cyclists accounted for 65 per cent of those killed in road crashes. All told, there had been 357 fatal crashes up to that time.

Of those road deaths, 130 were motorcyclists, 83 were pedestrians, 30 were pedal cyclists, and 18 were pillion passengers. Westmoreland, Hanover, St James, and Trelawny accounted for 39 per cent of motorcyclists killed. We know that many, if not most of those motorcyclists, had not been wearing helmets.

The grim data underlines the need for speedy implementation of the Road Traffic Act which was passed in the Jamaican Parliament in late 2018 but is yet to be implemented because accompanying regulations are still being formulated.

We empathise with executive director of the National Road Safety Council Ms Paula Fletcher who wants more urgency.

Says she: “The regulations are expected in 2021, and we would love to see it in the first quarter, even towards the end of the first quarter, so that it can be included in the whole budget (2021/22). We really would like to see some action and movement on this early in the first quarter of the year.”

Legislation and enforcement — which hopefully will encourage safer road use — is one thing. But infrastructure plays a critical role. There can be no doubt that inadequate road design, marking, and lighting, etc, can make life nightmarish for motorists.

For that reason, all well-thinking Jamaicans will have welcomed a $116-million project, funded by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), to upgrade the north coast road — much frequented by visitors — from Oracabessa in St Mary to Spot Valley in St James. The project involves road markings, including raised pavement markers and cats’ eyes.

If anything, Ms Fletcher is perhaps understating the case when she says that, while all road users have a personal responsibility, the authorities “have a role to play in making the roads safe”.

Like Ms Fletcher, we are hopeful the TEF will see it fit to implement road safety projects in other sections of the island, even outside of the traditional tourist areas.

After all, the entire Jamaica should be seen as a destination.

In any such project, we would suggest special attention to pedestrian safety. The absence of proper sidewalks in sections of our cities, towns, and villages is an obvious extreme weakness — even if people do not block roads and demonstrate to make the point.

Schoolchildren are especially at risk in this regard.

Also, there is obvious need for comprehensive road-use awareness programmes targeting pedestrians in particular. The sight of people in rural Jamaica walking with their backs to traffic on narrow, busy roads with no sidewalks is hair-raising, to put it mildly.

All aspects should be taken into consideration as the society moves to protect road users.