KINGSTON, Jamaica - The Ministry of Transport and Mining has signed a contract with TRL Software to provide its web-based accident analysis software system, iMAAP, to help make the island’s roads safer.

Portfolio Minister, Audley Shaw made the disclosure at the 5th anniversary celebration of 876 On The Go Taxi Service, held at the University of Technology in St Andrew on April 13.

Shaw said the software will be used to provide the latest techniques in crash data storage, analysis, and reporting, and allow for improvements to be made to the road network to make them safer in order to save lives.

“This is technology working for all road users and stakeholders,” the minister stated.

Jamaica currently uses a paper-based crash data collection and analysis system, but the introduction of a state-of-the-art software-based system that enables automatic photo, video, and data captioning, will speed up the analysis process.

iMAAP enables road safety professionals to identify problems based on in-depth analyses of accident data; establish safety goals based on identified problems, which are measurable, realistic and time specific; plan programmes of countermeasures, associated costs and timelines; implement and monitor programmes and to periodically check progress; and evaluate the effectiveness of all interventions implemented.

Shaw also used the occasion to encourage Jamaicans to adhere to the road safety rules to protect themselves and other road users.

“We have to ensure that we take responsibility for our lives, and others,” he said, while appealing especially to male drivers to obey the traffic laws, adding that males account for most of the road crashes.