PORT ANTONIO, Portland — Over 30 Titchfield upper school students participated in the launch of a drivers’ education initiative last Friday at the school, geared towards teaching them road safety and abiding by traffic rules.

The students sat the Island Traffic Authority’s (ITA) road code examination after the launch of the programme.

“We strive to provide a holistic education that equips our students for the real world, and today’s event is testament to our commitment as we officially launch our school’s new driver education initiative,“ said Vice-Principal Sheryl Horne-Mair.

“Our goal is to go beyond the classroom to help our students to build vital 21st-century life skills.”

Titchfield lost three students to motor vehicle accidents in recent times, and Horne-Mair pointed out the importance of safety on the road.

“One cannot pretend not to know that road fatalities in Jamaica has become a major public safety concern,” she said. “The data shows that young males ages 20-24 are frequently involved in fatal crashes, and that over 120 children have died in the last five years, prompting, among other initiatives, school zone safety improvements. As a country, we have lost so many of our family members and our friends due to impaired, distracted, or inexperienced driving, and if nothing is done to change that trajectory, then we will continue to expose the nation’s road users to significant risks. Somewhere along the way, it becomes critical for us to instil in the younger generation that safe driving is not just about operating a vehicle, it’s about responsibility.“

She said the programme aims to produce well-informed, safety-conscious, and skilled drivers who are prepared to navigate the roads safely.

“We believe that through the programme, our mature students will learn defensive driving strategies, such as learning to anticipate and avoid hazards,“ she added. “They will also learn responsibility and awareness, such as understanding the dangers of impaired driving… they will also learn character development, [and] good judgement and positive attitudes while they are behind the wheel.”

The programme was piloted by Christopher Richards, CEO of Beep Beep Driving School, and instituted at the school by Principal Richard Thompson.

Richards, who is a certified commercial driving instructor, told the Jamaica Observer that the initiative reinforces a simple truth — that road safety is intentional.

“By educating young people before they become drivers, we are shaping informed, respectful and responsible road users. Through road code education, legal awareness, risk recognition and attitude development, students are being prepared not just to pass a test but to make life-saving decisions,” he explained.

“We are proud of the collaboration among traffic authorities, law enforcement, policymakers, educators, and certified driving professionals. This is how sustainable change happens through shared responsibility and shared vision.”

He said Beep Beep Driving School remains committed to quality driver education and a strong road safety culture, and as part of this commitment, high school students will benefit from an exclusive 20 per cent discount on driving training, valid from February 2026 to February 2027.

“Together, we are not just creating drivers, we are creating safer roads, stronger communities, and a better Jamaica,” he said.

Meanwhile, superintendent of police in charge of the Portland Division Ainsley McCarthy, said there was an increase in motor vehicle accidents and fatalities last year, compared to the year before. “Last year, as a police division, we were able to reduce murders by 15 per cent, [but] what we saw were fatalities from traffic accidents climbing by 15 per cent also. So while we were able to reduce deaths one way, we saw an increase in deaths on our road. We also saw a 20 per cent increase in fatal traffic accidents that caused those deaths. There was also a 12 per cent increase in traffic accidents throughout Portland,” he said.

To the students, he shared: “While you may not be piloting a vehicle at this stage, the experience and the knowledge that you would have gained from this initiative puts you in a better position as students to say to the person driving your motor vehicle, you cannot overtake while there is an unbroken white line. These were some of the main causes of our fatal accidents last year…”

He added: “While you are young, and that energy is there and you want to go around the steering and you want to drive, the operative word that I hear is responsibility…”

For his part, Colonel Daniel Pryce, director general, ITA, representing Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport Daryl Vaz, said the initiative wasn’t just the launch of a programme, but the igniting of a movement.

“[This] movement places road safety at the centre of how we think and how we act. [It’s] a movement that shapes our choices, our behaviour, and our respect for life,” he said. “This movement sends a clear message to every young Jamaican that your life matters. Your decisions matter. Your vigilance on the road can save lives, possibly your own.

Pryce said since 2023, the ITA has brought its learner driver education programme to 26 institutions across Jamaica, with 20 schools advancing to the ‘testing for learners’ purpose. Titchfield High School is the first school in the parish and the east, to advance to the road code test.

MCCARTHY… last year, as a police division, we were able to reduce murders by 15 per cent, [but] what we saw were fatalities from traffic accidents climbing by 15 per cent also (Photo: Everard Owen)

PRYCE… Titchfield High School is the first school in this parish to advance to the road code test (Photo: Everard Owen)