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Safe driving throughout the year

Published:Sunday | April 3, 2022 | 12:07 AMPaul Glenroy Messam - Contributor
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Ian Allen Telbert Morrison has been directing traffic along Studley Park road for the last 11 years without being paid. He says the area is a hotspot for accidents and is trying to prevent them from happening.
Ian Allen
Ian Allen Telbert Morrison has been directing traffic along Studley Park road for the last 11 years without being paid. He says the area is a hotspot for accidents and is trying to prevent them from happening.
Rudolph Brown
Lord Sebastian Coe Arrival to Jamaica
Gladstone Taylor
Lord Sebastian Coe Arrival to Jamaica
A policeman observes a Mazda motor car that was involved in a crash with a truck at Heroes Circle, Kingston, on Tuesday. There were no reports of injuries. Thirty-seven people were killed in January, a 19 per cent rise compared with the comparative period
Rudolph Brown/Photographer
A policeman observes a Mazda motor car that was involved in a crash with a truck at Heroes Circle, Kingston, on Tuesday. There were no reports of injuries. Thirty-seven people were killed in January, a 19 per cent rise compared with the comparative period in 2021.
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As we travel through the various streets, lanes, and highways, let us as conscious Jamaican motorists resolve to change our undesirable driving and drive safely. The objective is to save precious lives, time, and money. “A driver’s attitude is a major factor,” says Assistant Commissioner Calvin Allen. While speeding is another factor, therefore, we need to think safety every time we get around a steering wheel.

To begin, drivers should stay clear of being angry and refrain from using abusive language on our Jamaican roads. Radcliff Lewis, former head of the Police Traffic Department, says motorists ought to know how to limit the risk of being involved in a road traffic accident by being fully aware of the common causes such as speeding, improper overtaking, disregard for other road users, and the general indiscipline by some drivers. Motorists must concentrate on their safe driving plan by driving for the other person and anticipating the actions of other road users.

Driving tips to follow:

1.Drivers must understand the functions of all controls and switches in the motor vehicle for example, the various warning lights, indicators, wipers, and on-board computer displays.

2. They should carry out daily routine safety checks, especially with brakes, tyres, seatbelts, reflectors, horns, and wheel nut security.

3. Select the appropriate gear and correct road position for driving.

4. Ensure that all doors are properly closed before moving off to one’s destination.

5. Drive at a speed that is appropriate to the road, traffic, and weather condition.

6. Drivers should avoid turning the wheel too early when cornering. Also, they should avoid crossing their hands on the steering wheel.

7. Our drivers must avoid resting their arm on the door of the motor vehicle, whether car, bus, truck, or van.

8. Exercise sympathy, empathy, and good driving manners, whether in the day or night, during rain or sunshine.

9. Drivers should signal early for turns, stops, or lane changes.

10. Flash brake lights ahead of time to warn drivers behind that you may have to slow down or stop as opposed to stopping gradually to give the driver behind time to adjust.

11. Help tailgaters pass, when it is safe, by signalling with the hand, moving aside, or slowing down if needed.

12. Be careful of mistaken judgement of a manoeuvre. A driver may misjudge speed or distance when passing, turning, or going around a curve.

“We are trying our best to reduce speeding to ensure that people understand that it does not make sense to make haste as it can lead to road fatality, so let us slow down on the roads and abide by the road rules,” says Head of the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, Assistant Commissioner of Police Gary McKenzie.