A number of road fatalities over the recent Easter period has pushed the total for the year, to April 2, over the corresponding period in 2012.
This threatens to reverse the gains realised in the SAVE 300 LIVES Campaign, even as the annual figure has been revised in the current Below 240 Campaign.
Seven persons lost their lives between Saturday, March 30 and Easter Monday, April 7, in motor vehicle crashes. In the incident on Easter Monday in Falmouth, Trelawny, four members of one family had their lives snuffed out in a crash, which occurred in the vicinity of the Falmouth Bypass.
Data from the National Road Safety Council (NRSC) shows that road fatalities have increased from 64 in the January 1 to April 2 2012 period, to 69 in the corresponding period this year. This represents a 7.8 per cent increase in road fatalities. Although fatal crashes declined by 3.4 per cent during that period (falling from 58 to 56 crashes), the NRSC states that the multiple fatalities over the Easter holiday weekend have caused the increase in the number of persons dying on the roads.
"We are urging all road users to exercise greater care and caution on the roads. It is of utmost importance that all motorists, commuters, cyclists and pillion riders use safety devices, in keeping with the law and for your own safety," Dr Lucien Jones, NRSC vice-chairman/convenor appealed. "The police have indicated that their reports show that in at least one of the crashes on the Easter Holiday weekend involving a motorcyclist and pillion rider the non-use of safety devices was a factor, which contributed to the deaths of those involved."
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The NRSC's call for more responsible usage of the roads comes nearly a month after it launched the'Below 240 Campaign'. The Council has established this new road safety target for 2013-2016. The new objective is to encourage the reduction in road deaths to fewer than 240 per annum, over the next three years.
The NRSC has expressed sincere condolences to the family and friends of those persons who lost their life tragically over the Easter. The NRSC is also renewing its call for road users to exercise greater care on the roads throughout the year, with increased caution during holiday periods, when there is an increase in road-user activity.
Dr Jones is warning that without the wearing of seat belts, motorists and commuters become 'human missiles' when a car has to stop suddenly or is engaged in some form of impact. "Also, without the wearing of safety helmets, the cyclist and pillion rider are more vulnerable to serious head injuries, which often prove fatal," Dr Jones added.
