KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Ministry of Transport’s Road Safety Unit reported that 28 persons have died in motor vehicle crashes since the start of 2018.

According to Director of The Road Safety Unit in the Ministry of Transport and Mining Kenute Hare, “the majority of our road crashes are related to bad driving practices and very poor judgment“.

Despite the figure however, the report indicated that fatalities have decreased by seven per cent when compared with the similar period in 2017.

Last year the Road Safety Unit reported that a total of 321 persons died in motor vehicle crashes.

The Unit further revealed that the main cause of the crashes last year were due to excessive speeding, disobeying traffic sign/signals, swerving, failure to keep left, and following too closely or tailgating.

Hare is calling on motorists to change their behaviour and think of other road users.

“Fatalities are not just statistics, these deaths because a great deal of suffering for the people who have lost a loved one or who are left with life changing injuries,” he said.