National Road Safety Council Review Meeting Highlights Urgency for Comprehensive Action to Stem Road Fatalities in Jamaica
Kingston, Jamaica, January 11, 2024 | (PAHO) – The concern about the persistently high rates of road traffic deaths on Jamaica’s roads took center stage at today’s National Road Safety Council (NRSC) Review Meeting in Kingston.
Despite proactive efforts by the government through the NRSC and its members, the death toll remains alarmingly high each year. According to the Road Safety Unit, Jamaica recorded 425 road fatalities in 2023. The crisis is fueled by indiscipline and social determinants such as excessive speeding and disregard for road rules.
Comparative data collected by the World Health Organization (WHO) reveals that Jamaica’s road fatality rate of 18 per 100,000 persons per year is higher than the average for the Region of the Americas (14.1).
This places the country in a tie for 13th out of 19 positions regarding the lowest rates of road fatalities among countries in the Americas. It is 3.5 times higher than its Caribbean neighbor, Trinidad and Tobago, and only marginally lower than the average rate for the African Region (19).
In his comments to the discussions, PAHO/WHO Representative for Jamaica, Bermuda, and the Cayman Islands, Ian Stein, emphasized the immediate need for an intersectoral and all-of-government approach to formulate and enforce effective policies and interventions.
Despite the disappointing figures, Mr. Stein asserted that the road safety challenges in Jamaica present “real opportunities for improvement,” with particular attention needed to address alarming statistics related to motorcycle fatalities.
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