KINGSTON, Jamaica — Head of the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch (PSTEB) of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Gary McKenzie, is appealing to motorists to obey the rules of the road, in order to reduce traffic crashes.

In a recent interview with JIS News, ACP McKenzie said that while there are numerous factors that contribute to fatal accidents, two major areas are cause for concern.

Those include: motorists overtaking where there is a continuous white line and overtaking on approaching a bridge or a corner. McKenzie highlighted that the latter coupled with the usual problem of speeding, continues to be a recipe for disaster on the island’s road networks.

 “We are trying our best to reduce speeding, to ensure that people understand that it does not make sense to make haste, because to make haste, you make waste, so let us slow down on the roads and abide by the road rules,” he said.

“As it relates to traffic accidents (especially those that become very serious and lead to death) we have recognised that driving at excessive speeds is a really serious issue. But most of the times while speeding contributes to the gravity of injury and the nature of damage, it is not usually the primary reason why the accident happened,” he further explained, adding that there is serious need for road users to be in full compliance with the road code.

Statistics from the Road Safety Unit in the Ministry of Transport and Mining reveal an overall increase in fatal crashes and road fatalities last year. Over the past 12 months, 483 Jamaicans died on the nation’s roads in 435 crashes. That is a 12 per cent increase in fatal crashes and fatalities when compared with 2020.

Statistics from the Unit also revealed that fatalities during curfew hours accounted for approximately 33 per cent of the total fatalities in 2021, with 161 people being killed in 134 fatal crashes.