There’s been a sharp increase in the number of fatalities from accidents on the nations’s roads.
The National Road Safety Council, NRSC, is reporting that 20 people died in motor vehicle crashes over the past seven days.
It’s calling on the police to immediately step up their campaign against speeding and careless driving across the country.
Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Transport, Dr. Morais Guy, says the government is saddened by the loss of lives on the nation’s roads.
He says these incidents could have been avoided.
According to Vice-chairman of the NRSC, Dr Lucien Jones, between last Thursday and yesterday, 20 people were killed in motor vehicle collisions.
Among those killed are two children.
Speaking on ‘Miss Kitty Live’ on Nationwide 90FM this afternoon, Dr. Jones said the increase in crash fatalities is particularly worrying with the start of the new school year.
He said the NRSC is determined to minimize road fatalities.
Of the 20 people killed since last Thursday, three, including a one-year-old, died in a two-vehicle collision in St. Ann on Sunday.
That crash also injured nine people.
On Monday, two people, a taxi driver and a passenger died in Holland Bamboo, St. Elizabeth, while a pedestrian died as a result of injuries suffered when he was hit by a motor vehicle on the Spanish Town bypass in St Catherine on the same day.
And yesterday a mother and her 5-year old daughter died in a motor vehicle crash in Hellshire, Portmore.
Dr Jones says overtaking and speeding are largely responsible for the majority of the accidents that have occurred this year.
He says of the 20 accidents over the past seven-days, nine were the result of motorists’ failure to keep their traffic lane and improper overtaking, while 4 were due to speeding.
Meanwhile, Dr. Morais Guy says if road users drive at a speed that’s appropriate for road conditions, wear seat belts, and avoid driving when fatigued or impaired, the number of deaths and injuries from traffic collisions and crashes can be significantly reduced.
He notes that children need assistance in dealing with the traffic until at least until the age of 12, as they’re not yet equipped physically or developmentally to make the crucial decisions to keep them safe.
Minister Guy is urging parents to take particular care to educate their children about proper road usage at an early age.
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