The Ministry of Transport and Mining says there is a moderate decline in road fatalities since the start of the year.
Speaking at the Western Jamaica Launch of the Road Code Test in Secondary Schools at Little London High in Westmoreland on Friday, Transport Minister Audley Shaw says up to March 23 this year, 94 persons died in road traffic crashes from 83 collisions.
According to the Minister, this is in comparison to 106 people being killed from 94 crashes over the corresponding period last year.
He says this represents an 11 percent reduction in road traffic deaths and a 12 percent decline in fatal crashes over last year.
Minister Shaw says the parish of Westmoreland recorded a dramatic dip in road fatalities with nine people being killed to date, compared to 15 for the corresponding period in 2022.
This represents a 40 percent decline.
Motorcyclists represent 50 percent of those fatalities in this parish.
The Minister noted that in 2022, Westmoreland recorded the fourth highest number of fatalities in the island with 49 lives lost.
Of the 49 fatalities in the parish, motorcyclist accounted for 24, followed by private motor vehicle drivers which accounted for seven fatalities.
The Minister noted that young people between the ages of 15 and 29 years accounted for the highest number of the overall fatalities in the parish.
He noted that the community of Little London is considered one of the crash hotspots in the parish, due to the number of fatalities that have been recorded over the years.
