KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Twenty-eight people were killed as a result of 26 fatal crashes as of Friday, February 3, according to the latest statistics released by the Road Safety Unit (RSU).

The numbers represent a significant 38 per cent decline in fatalities and a 33 per cent drop in fatal crashes when compared with the corresponding period in 2022.

Despite the decline, the RSU is projecting a negligible 0.4 per cent increase in fatalities in 2023 when compared with 2022 when a record 488 people died on the nation’s roads.

Motorcyclists account for the majority of road users killed so far this year, accounting for 36 per cent of all deaths since January 1.

Twenty-one per cent of the fatalities to date are among pedestrians. Drivers of private motor vehicles account for seven per cent of the road deaths recorded up to February 3, so too passengers of private motor vehicles.

The group of road users regarded as most vulnerable (pedestrians, pedal cyclists, motorcyclists and pillion riders) account for 79 per cent of the road users killed since the start of the year.

And, with a little over a month into the year, males already account for 89 per cent of road deaths compared to 11 per cent for females.

The parish of St Catherine currently accounts for 18 per cent of the overall road users killed since the start of the year, followed by Manchester, St Elizabeth and St Andrew with 14 per cent each.