Fourteen police divisions report increases in road deaths

Fourteen of the 19 police divisions that cover the island have reported an increase, some by more than 100 per cent, in the number of persons killed in motor vehicle crashes since the start of the year.

Four of the five remaining police divisions reported a decrease in road deaths while the other division kept pace with last year’s figure.

According to the latest report from the Road Safety Unit in the Ministry of Transport, the Manchester and Clarendon police divisions have each recorded eleven road fatalities since January 1, compared to three each over the corresponding period last year.

In Westmoreland and St Elizabeth, the police have recorded 13 and 12 road deaths respectively since the start of the year, compared with five and six respectively over the similar period last year.

The St Andrew Central Police report that four persons have died on the roadways in the division since January 1 compared to zero over the corresponding period last year.

The St Andrew North Police have seen road deaths dip from eight at this point last year to three so far this year while the St Catherine North Police report that 14 persons have died in crashes this year, compared to 16 over the corresponding period last year.

According to the Road Safety Unit report, a total of 131 persons have died on the nation’s roadways since the start of the year, a 35 per cent increase or 34 more than the 97 road deaths recorded over the similar period last year.

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