Deejay Shaka Pow, a medical doctor by profession, is appealing to motorists to drive with extreme care as we approach the Christmas season. He said traffic crashes tend to spike during this time of the year, and places severe pressure on the emergency units at the island’s hospitals.

“Jamaicans should have less crazy driving on our roads which has taken a toll on mainly ortopedics, general surgery, ENT (ear, nose, and throat) and neurosurgery disciplines,” he said.

The deejay is encouraging motorists to slow down and insists on the wearing of helmets and seatbelts.

Road deaths is a major concern in Jamaica although the figures have shown fluctuation over the years. The average road deaths amounts to 341 while 80 per cent of fatalities are males. Among the causes of these crashes are speeding, improper overtaking and defective vehicle tyres.

As of Thursday, 420 people have been killed on the island’s roadways.

The Government has embarked on an ongoing public education programe and the deployment of more traffic police to reduce the toll figures.

Shaka Pow’s latest project is a Christmas song titled Once A Year, expected to be released later this month on the IWAAD Music LLC label.

“This song speaks of the hype of the reopening of the entertainment industry which we know will be possible when the majority of the population is vaccinated. The rhythm is called Viral Storm,” he said.

“The riddim wss built by Tay-FK for IWAAD Music who had plans to do some recordings. However, I loved it so much that I immediately found myself in studio. The song was recorded in less than an hour,” he said.

“People will love it (song) because it has a dancehall vibes, in addition to a strong messsge to the population that vaccination is impotant.”

Shaka Pow, born Garth McDonald, is known for such songs as No Ice Cream Love featuring Abby Dallas, Turn Me On, Hold A Strength, and No Lovin a collab with Beenie Man.