VICE-CHAIRMAN of the National Road Safety Council (NRSC) Dr Lucien Jones says it is time for the Church to be brought into the mix to reset the behaviours and mindsets of motorists and other road users, as the previously large percentage drop in road fatalities at the start of 2023, compared to last year, declines at a rapid pace.

“We need to organise the village. The Church needs to be brought in. What we need to do is find a way to get into the minds of these young people to try to get them to be more careful on the roads. This is beyond a legislative agenda; it involves social change, emotional maturity, parental care…you have to find a way to get the girlfriends, and the mothers, and the family members to try to get these young men to behave in a different fashion,” Dr Jones told the Jamaica Observer on Monday in the wake of 12 deaths from crashes in 48 hours on the weekend.

Up to Monday there were 67 deaths from 58 collisions across the island since January, compared with 82 from 73 crashes for the similar period in 2022. The comparative decline in fatalities has swiftly plunged from over 60 per cent in the past two months to now 18 per cent, as shown by the latest statistics from the National Road Safety Unit (NRSU) in the transport ministry.

The NRSU projects that, based on the current trend, 122 people will die in traffic incidents between January and March, or one less than the similar period last year.

Dr Jones said the country has not seen this level of carnage in such a short span of time, recently.

“That’s really kind of mind-blowing and dramatic. When this kind of crisis and national disaster happens, how do you respond? The response [has to be in] several ways,” he said.

Immediate past president of the Jamaica Evangelical Alliance, Rev Dr Peter Garth agrees that the Church must play a role in the solution to the country’s high rate of road deaths, but notes that social re-engineering has to be widespread to be effective, and will be a long-term initiative.

“I think the Church can help in a sense because the Church is strategically positioned in every nook and cranny of the island. The reality is, there is need for a change of mindset, especially among young men. If we engage them — not one-off but over a period of time — we should see changes. There are persons I have worked with, and it takes time to get into mentorship and to help, but if churches engage communities and go after the young men, it could make a difference,” Rev Garth told the Observer.

He said the thrust should be to build confidence among the cohort, in a thoughtful manner. “If you build confidence in these young men, you’re able to speak to them — because some of them are not really thinking straight and they feel that they are invincible, and you have to show them the reality (not overnight), but if you can build confidence — they will end up listening to you,” the clergyman stressed, pointing out that the need for change spreads across all road users, not just the high-risk group of motorcyclists.

“Something has gone wrong. How can people believe that they can go around a corner blindly? They’re taking chances,” Garth argued.

In the meantime, the NRSC vice-chairman said as part of the push to reform road use the council has forged a partnership with an entity to assist motorcyclists — the most vulnerable group, according to statistics — in the western end of the island with protective gear.

“We have a properly funded programme to come on stream in another month or two which is going to create the climate where people will want to wear helmets. It will be islandwide so that we have an opportunity to create an islandwide movement. Even though it has a particular focus on creating the climate for people to want to wear helmets, one of the spin-offs will be the creation of parish groups that will remain active for a long time and will be involved in road safety generally,” he outlined.

He said the heavy fines in the new Road Traffic Act should make a difference, but electronic surveillance is critical, and now urgent, in order to nab those who wantonly continue to break the rules and contribute to crashes and fatalities.

“They need to supplement this [law] with the use of cameras. It’s very urgent because you can’t have a policeman everywhere. Places like St Mary, where these things are taking place, you can’t patrol effectively. It’s not a matter of additional finances but when you give a contract to a business, they bring in the cameras, they do the work, and then the Government benefits from the fines collected — so there is some kind of shared responsibility. It’s a matter of putting in place the facility,” he explained, adding he was hopeful that the pilot project slated for August will start sooner.

A part of the dilemma facing the authorities is the social reality of “no fixed address” among some Jamaicans, and informal locations and settlements. This has hampered the decision on the type of modality that is to be used for issuing electronic tickets.

“I think the NIDS project is to deal with aspects of it; it certainly will be part of the solution, as far as I know. That’s a challenge which officials have been grappling with — how do you effectively transmit electronic ticketing, whether it’s in the mail or by e-mail, or WhatsApp? The regulations allow for it to be sent. I suppose there is an argument as to the extent to which you can use all of these platforms,” Dr Jones said.