Wanton road terror claims 343 lives
Published:Monday | December 3, 2018 | 12:00 AMChristopher Serju/Gleaner Writer
"Wanton terror being executed by some motorists" is the major cause of the 303 fatal crashes which, up to yesterday, had claimed the lives of 343 persons, according to Kenute Hare, director of the Road Safety Unit in the Ministry of Transport and Mining.
Excessive speeding, drivers failing to keep left and pedestrian error were among the other contributory factors in crashes that claimed the lives of 295 males and 48 females since the start of the year.
A breakdown shows those killed in road accidents were:
- 73 pedestrians
- 90 motorcyclists
-14 pillions
- 22 pedal cyclists
- 60 private motor vehicle drivers
- 50 private motor vehicle passengers
- 10 public passenger vehicle occupants
- 8 drivers of public passenger vehicles
- 9 commercial motor vehicle passengers
- 6 commercial vehicle drivers
- 1 other.
"The majority of our road crashes are related to bad driving practices," Hare told The Gleaner. "Road fatalities are not just statistics. These deaths cause a great deal of suffering for the people who have lost a loved one or who are left with a permanent injury. The wanton disregard for the rules is crippling the country."
November, with 44 road deaths, was the bloodiest month, behind the 43 recorded for May. Based on the projected number of deaths for the rest of December, 371 is the revised minimum projected death toll for 2018.
In its ongoing effort to stem this worrying trend, the Road Safety Unit will be intensifying its public-education programme in schools and communities, with a view to promoting proper road etiquette. It also reiterated the call for motorists to look out for cyclists and pedestrians who may be obscured by other vehicles.