Chairman of the Transport Operators Development Sustainable Services (TODSS) Egerton Newman, is calling for a level playing field in road safety enforcement as traffic fatalities continue to mount at the start of the year.

Newman’s comments come in the wake of a deadly crash in St Elizabeth that claimed the lives of four women, all travelling in a private motor vehicle. The incident, he said, has once again highlighted inconsistencies in how road crashes are treated depending on whether a public passenger vehicle (PPV) or a private vehicle is involved.

“We closed 2025 with four people killed in a public passenger vehicle, and we have started 2026 with four people killed in a private motor vehicle crash,” Newman noted. “An accident is an accident, whether it involves a PPV or a private vehicle.”

Since the start of the year, seven people have already been killed on Jamaica’s roads, compared with nine deaths during the same period last year. While the figures show a slight numerical improvement, Newman warned that the trend remains troubling and demands urgent, unified action.

He said public reaction and enforcement efforts are often more intense when PPVs are involved in fatal crashes, while similar incidents involving private motorists tend to attract less sustained scrutiny.

“There are far too many private motor vehicle operators who are killing themselves and innocent road users,” Newman said, pointing to speeding as a major factor in recent fatal collisions.

In recent weeks, several serious crashes have resulted in vehicles bursting into flames, a pattern Newman said strongly suggests excessive speed and reckless driving. He stressed that Jamaica needs a national road safety plan that applies equally to all road users, supported by consistent enforcement and a unified focus across all agencies.

“There is no doubt that there needs to be a national road safety plan with a level playing field,” Newman said. “Until enforcement and accountability are applied evenly, we will continue to see lives lost unnecessarily.”