Ninety-nine people have died in 88 road crashes between January 1 and March 30 this year, the Ministry of Transport and Mining’s Road Safety Unit (RSU) has disclosed.

Director in charge of the unit, Deidrie Hudson-Sinclair, said that although the number of deaths is a 20 per cent reduction compared to the 123 over the same period last year, she was reminding road users to obey the rules and continue to show increased caution, as the fatalities have already surpassed the unit’s projections for the period this year.

According to Hudson-Sinclair, the 2022 figures released by the unit showed that 488 people died as a result of 425 crashes, with motorcyclists accounting for the highest — 142 fatalities — followed by pedestrians and private motor vehicle drivers which accounted for 109 and 85 deaths, respectively.

She also reported increased fatalities among other categories of road users, when compared to 2021. They are PPV drivers and passengers, commercial motor vehicle drivers, pedestrians, private motor vehicle passengers, and pillion passengers.

“Motorcyclists and motorists must ensure they use proper protective equipment when traversing the roadways, and stick to the speed limits in the different areas. Pedestrians must remember to look right, then left, then right again and use safe places to cross. They should also wear light or bright clothing at nights and walk facing the oncoming traffic,” she reminded.

Hudson-Sinclair also urged road users to look out for each other on the roads, and be vigilant as road safety is everyone’s business.

The latest figures released by the RSU showed that, in addition to the 20 per cent reduction in deaths, fatal crashes have decreased by 18 per cent when compared with the similar period in 2022.

The road deaths by categories are pedestrians, 24 per cent; private motor vehicle drivers, 12 per cent; private motor vehicle passengers, six per cent; motorcyclists, 30 per cent; commercial motor vehicle passengers, four per cent; commercial motor vehicle passengers, four per cent; pedal cyclists, eight per cent; public passenger vehicle drivers, one per cent; pillion passengers, four per cent; and public passenger vehicle passengers, nine per cent.

Vulnerable road users (pedestrians, pedal cyclists, motorcyclists and pillion riders) account for 67 per cent of the road users killed since 2023.

In terms of the areas where the most crashes have occurred, St Andrew accounted for 20 per cent; St Catherine, 14 per cent; Area one — Trelawny, St James, Hanover and Westmoreland accounted for 19 per cent; Area two — Portland, St Mary, and St Ann accounted for 11 per cent; Area three — Clarendon, Manchester, and St Elizabeth, 31 per cent; Area four — St Andrew Central, St Andrew South, Kingston Eastern, Kingston Central, and Kingston Western, 15 per cent; and Area five — St Andrew North, St Catherine North, St Catherine South, and St Thomas, 23 per cent of the road fatalities since the start of the year.