KINGSTON, Jamaica— Forty-six of the record 488 people killed in traffic crashes in Jamaica in 2022 died during the month of December according to the Ministry of Transport’s Road Safety Unit (RSU).

The December death toll resulted from 41 fatal collisions.

Eleven motorcyclists and 11 pedestrians were killed during the month; so too seven drivers of private motor cars and seven passengers of private motor cars.

The RSU said 74 per cent of those killed were male and 26 per cent were female.

“The main cause of fatalities was proceeding at excessive speed with no regard to condition,” the RSU said.

The 488 people killed in 2022 came in one more than the previous record of 487 who perished in motor vehicle collisions in 2021. December 2022 fatalities were 12 fewer than the 58 that were recorded in December 2021, a 21 per cent improvement. There were 15 fewer fatal crashes in December 2022, a 27 per cent improvement when compared with December 2021.

Meanwhile, the parish of St Andrew recorded the highest number of fatalities last December with nine, followed by St Catherine with seven and Kingston and St James with five each.

Trelawny and St Mary each recorded four road deaths during the month while St Ann had three. Hanover, Westmoreland, St Elizabeth and Clarendon each had two road deaths while St Thomas recorded a single road fatality.

The two safest parishes during December 2022 were Portland and Manchester which recorded no road fatalities over 31 days.