Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness says, at the current rate of road traffic fatalities on the nation’s roads, Jamaica is now facing a road traffic crisis.
Noting that the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) proclaimed 2021-2030 the “Decade of Action for Road Safety”, under which the aim is to prevent at least 50 per cent of road traffic death and injuries by 2030, Holness said it is clear that if things continue as they are, Jamaica is at risk of missing the target and possibly doubling its current rate of road traffic deaths.
He noted that in 2021, there were 487 road fatalities, representing the highest number of Jamaicans who have died through crashes in the last decade.
Holness said road crashes have significant personal and economic impacts on families, and the implications, both personal and financial, carry long into the future, with families dealing with the terrible pain and financial losses that come with the sudden and untimely loss of their loved ones, including breadwinners.
