VICE-CHAIRMAN of the National Road Safety Council Dr Lucien Jones has reiterated his call for the full implementation of the demerit point system and other road safety measures, after six people lost their lives on the nation’s roads over the weekend.

“What happened over the weekend is an absolute disaster. Six people died… This is why we have to remain forever vigilant when it comes to road safety, because disasters can happen at a moment’s notice. We need all hands on deck in respect of all the issues that need to be sorted out to make sure that we have safe roads and safe speeds and safe road users in this country,” said Jones.

“We absolutely need right now the [full] roll-out of the demerit point system. We absolutely need to increase vigilance with respect to people driving under the influence of alcohol. We absolutely need right now to make sure that we have safe roads on which people can drive,” added Jones.

Under the law accumulating 10 points demerit points for road traffic violations could result in the licence being suspended for six months.

Motorists who rack up between 14 and 20 demerit points could see their driver’s licence suspended for a year, while those who amass 20 or more points could see a suspension of their licence for at least two years.

But Jones has repeatedly stressed the need for the full roll-out of the demerit point system and has argued that this is the main part of the sanctions regime which can remove persistently errant drivers from the system for an extended period.

The road fatalities recorded over the weekend included two motorcycle crashes, six hours apart, in St Elizabeth.

Police identified the victims in the St Elizabeth incidents as Omar Spence, 30, a construction worker and resident of Coley Mountain in Manchester; and Amar Henry, a resident of Thornton district, St Elizabeth.

Police said Spence died as a result of head injuries he sustained in a crash on the Lacovia main road about 9:20 pm Sunday following a collision between his motorcycle and a Toyota Corolla motorcar.

In the meantime, Henry died as a result of injuries he sustained when his motorcycle slammed into a wall on the Thornton main road about 3:00 am on Monday.

The other fatal crashes over the weekend happened in St Ann, St Catherine North and Westmoreland police divisions.

Jones is also reminding motorcyclists to wear only certified helmets to protect their heads.

“We absolutely need the entire country to be mobilised to make sure that those motorcycles use a certified helmet when they are riding. Far too many motorcyclists are dying because they are not wearing a helmet or they are not wearing a certified helmet,” he said.

“This is why we have formed the National Helmet Wearing Coalition to make sure that on every head we have riders who are using a certified helmet,” Jones added.

Statistics from the police show that up to 6:00 am on Monday there have been 60 road fatalities across the island since the the start of this year compared to 93 for the corresponding period last year.