Prime Minister Bruce Golding recently called on motorists and pedestrians to exercise greater care and concern for safety in using the roadways. He said the Government is concerned about road risks; and that in addition to increased traffic monitoring by the police, other initiatives will include a new ticketing system by the Island Traffic Authority, more camera surveillance of roads and the use of portable weigh scales to check vehicles suspected of being overloaded.
Speaking at the launch of the National Road Safety Council-Jamaica National Building Society (JN) Inter-parish Safety Competition, Mr. Golding urged everyone to take responsibility for themselves; and said many serious mishaps would be avoided if road users conducted themselves in a different way.
The PM said “Good road use habits must not become dependent solely on enforcement. It cannot be the police that we rely on. If we were ever able to establish a culture of responsible road usage…just think of how many policemen could be redeployed to go and catch some criminals creating mayhem through the country.”
The Inter Parish Safety Competition is endorsed by Olympians and athletic World Champions Melaine Walker and Usain Bolt. The parish that has lowered or reduced the number of crashes and fatalities between now and the end of the year will receive a prize from JN.
To date, more than 240 persons have been killed in traffic crashes, this includes 12 children.
