50 people killed in traffic crashes in November, says RSU
KINGSTON, Jamaica – A carnage-filled November has seen a worrying 50 people killed in motor vehicle crashes on the nation’s roads.
This is according to statistics released this week by the Ministry of Transport and Mining’s Road Safety Unit (RSU) which said the deaths resulted from 41 fatal motor vehicle collisions during the month.
The number is identical to the 50 fatalities recorded in November 2018 with 42 fatal crashes that month. It is more than the 43 deaths recorded in November last year, and significantly more than the 30 recorded in November 2020.
The RSU said 86 per cent of those who perished in motor vehicle crashes last month were males. Eighteen of those who died were motorcyclists, 17 were drivers of private motor cars and 10 were pedestrians.
The parish of St Ann accounted for 16 per cent of the deaths with eight, while St Andrew accounted for 14 per cent or seven deaths.
The parishes of St Catherine and Westmoreland each recorded five deaths while Manchester and Clarendon had four each. Portland, Hanover and St James each saw three fatalities during the month under review, while Kingston, Trelawny, St Mary and St Elizabeth each recorded two road deaths. There were no fatalities in St Thomas in November.
Meanwhile, the RSU said the main cause of traffic crashes and deaths was motorists proceeding at excessive speed with no regard for road conditions.
A further breakdown of the statistics reveals the following:
-Motorcyclists accounted for 36 per cent of the fatalities during November
-Pedestrians accounted for 20 per cent of the road users killed during the month
· Private motor vehicle drivers accounted for 14 per cent
· Private motor vehicle passengers accounted for eight per cent of the road deaths
· Pillion passengers accounted for six per cent
· Passengers of public motor vehicles accounted for two per cent
· Vulnerable road users (pedestrians, pedal cyclists, motorcyclists and pillion passengers) accounted for 62 per cent of all road fatalities last month.
In the meantime, 444 people have died in 386 fatal collisions since the start of the year. A total of 487 people were killed in 2021, a record number during the COVID-19 pandemic, which had lock-down days and curfew hours.