$4.3 billion in fines
Errant motorists issued with nearly 630,000 traffic tickets
THE Government continued to rake in billions of dollars from traffic ticket enforcement in 2025 with $4.3 billion in fines collected during the year.
The amount was realised from the issuance of 627,531 tickets, compared with 561,251 issued in 2024, an increase of 11.8 per cent.
The information is contained in the 2025 edition of the Economic and Social Survey Jamaica, an annual publication of the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ).
Despite an additional 66,280 tickets being issued in 2025 when compared to the previous year, a total of 374 people died in motor vehicle crashes, an increase of nine deaths when compared to the year prior.
PIOJ noted that fatalities were recorded across all age groups, with males accounting for the majority. A total of 18 children died in motor vehicle crashes in 2025 compared with 24 in the previous year.
Contributing factors to road crashes included excessive speeding, which claimed 95 lives; failure to keep to the near side, which caused 56 deaths; pedestrian error, which accounted for 48 deaths; and improper overtaking, which resulted in 29 fatalities.
Meanwhile, 35 road users died in 31 fatal motor vehicles crashes during the month of June this year. Overall, 182 people have died in 157 fatal crashes since the start of 2026, according to the latest crash statistics released on June 24 by the Island Traffic Authority (ITA).
The ITA said fatalities decreased by 18 per cent when compared to the year prior, while fatal crashes are down 17 per cent.
Motorcyclists so far account for 47 deaths or 26 per cent of the overall fatalities since the start of the year. Pedestrians are next with 42 or 23 per cent of all road deaths since January 1.
The ITA shares that drivers of private motor vehicles account for 40 deaths or 22 per cent of the fatalities, while their passengers account for 27 deaths, representing 15 per cent of this year’s fatalities.
On the lower side, commercial motor vehicle passengers account for nine, or five per cent of road deaths; pedalcyclists account for five deaths or three per cent; and pillion passengers account for four deaths or two per cent of fatalities since the start of the year.
The ITA said vulnerable road users combined — pedestrians, pedalcyclists, motorcyclists, and pillion passengers — account for 54 per cent of fatalities since the start of this year. Overall, passengers account for 23 per cent of fatalities this year.
Males and females account for 85 per cent and 15 per cent, respectively, of all fatalities in 2026.
— Lynford Simpson
