THE flashing lights of some motorists warning other drivers travelling on Jamaica’s highways will soon mean more than just the police being up ahead as motor vehicle examiners — who will be removing registration plates from vehicles that are not in roadworthy condition — are slated to join the cops.

Director general of the Island Traffic Authority (ITA) Colonel Daniel Pryce, speaking to reporters and editors at this week’s Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange at the newspaper’s St Andrew headquarters, said the upcoming move is one of the things being done to ramp up enforcement in an effort to stem the carnage and improve road safety islandwide.

The country is attempting to get to 217 or fewer fatalities per year by 2030, in keeping with the United Nations goal under the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, halving the number of road traffic deaths and serious injuries in the stipulated time.

Jamaica needs to cut the 433 road fatalities recorded in 2020 by 50 per cent in order to hit the target.

In 2021 and 2022 the number of road fatalities increased, with the country recording 487 and 488 deaths, respectively, before declining in 2023 and again in 2024. Four hundred and twenty-five road deaths were recorded in 2023, and 365 in 2024.

For this year, up to Thursday, 143 lives had been lost to road crashes in 129 fatal collisions.

On Monday, Colonel Pryce disclosed that the ITA has partnered with the Toll Authority of Jamaica and so motorists will be seeing the motor vehicle examiner-included spot checks on the highways “in the not-too-distant future”.

“This is not necessarily for speeding, but we are also looking at roadworthiness of vehicles on the road,” Colonel Pryce explained, adding that what is being observed at the island’s examination depots is some motorists turning up to get their motor vehicles passed with tyres that were borrowed just for the inspection — thereby presenting a vehicle that is roadworthy.

The director general said as soon as they receive the certificate of fitness for the motor vehicle, they revert to their original tyres.

Since conducting spot checks on the nation’s roads often yields “very good results”, according to the ITA boss, it is being included in the arsenal.

“You would’ve seen those examiners taking off the plates of persons, which means that they no longer have the right to drive,” said Colonel Pryce.

According to the Road Traffic Regulations, 2022, if a certifying officer determines that a motor vehicle or trailer is defective, the certifying officer shall issue a certificate of defects in the form of an E1, and the authorised person shall remove and retain the registration plates of the motor vehicle or trailer and direct the owner or person in charge of the motor vehicle to take it to a place where repairs can be effected.

Having had the motor vehicle repaired, the owner or person in charge of a motor vehicle for which an E1 certificate was issued shall have the motor vehicle examined by a certified officer who shall, if satisfied that the defect has been remedied, issue a certificate of defects remedied in the form of an E2.

Essentially, the E1 certificate prohibits the vehicle from being driven until the issues identified are addressed.