The National Road Safety Council is expressing its sympathies to the families of persons who have lost their lives on the nation’s roads.

Concerned about the number of serious crashes and road fatalities, the Council, on the direction of Prime Minister Andrew Holness, convened a meeting to explore strategies to reduce the number of fatal crashes.  

In the meeting, held on November 10, several commitments were made by various stakeholders to tackle the issue.

MORE BOOTS ON THE GROUND

The Ministry of Transport has committed to increasing its education campaign and community engagement on road safety across all media platforms.

The Island Traffic Authority (ITA) has committed to putting more boots on the ground to carry out spot checks on road worthiness of vehicles.

The police, through the Head of the Highway and Patrol Division at the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch (PSTEB), Superintendent Lanford Salmon, also committed to increasing their presence on the roads, especially in the yuletide season.

The Road Safety Council and the Ministry of Security will be embarking on another motorcycle training in December, starting in one of the country’s accident hotspots, Mountainside, St Elizabeth.

“Road safety continues to be a critical priority of the Government of Jamaica. The National Road Safety Council is determined to play its part in addressing this issue. This issue requires an all hands-on deck approach,” said Floyd Green, minister without portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister.

“Nothing beats personal responsibility, so I am urging all drivers to take more care on the roads. Too many families are being put through needless heartache because of bad decisions being made on our roads.”

The minister also urged the private sector to partner with the Government on this drive.