Use traffic fines to fund road safety campaign, Phillips suggests

Opposition Spokesperson on Transport, Mikael Phillips, has suggested the Government use a portion of the traffic fines it collects to fund a much-needed road safety education campaign to address the issue of frequent traffic crashes.

He made the suggestion on Tuesday while presenting in the sectoral debate in the House of Representatives.

“We recommend, madam speaker, that a percentage of the annual revenue from traffic fines go towards funding the Road Safety Unit and the National Road Safety Council's (NRSC) public education campaign.”

“Urgent action is needed,” Phillips stressed.

Phillips noted that the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) has been collaborating with the NRSC to implement a United Nations-funded road safety project in Jamaica and used the opportunity to suggest several components that should be incorporated into the project.

These include infrastructure improvements and comprehensive data collection and analysis.

“Enhancing roadways is paramount to reducing the impact of vehicles and ensuring safe operations,” Phillips said.

According to information on the UN website, the project is to support the Jamaican authorities to promote more responsible use of roadways, improve access to post-crash care and reduce road crashes in Jamaica.

The project implementation date is January 1, 2023 to January 1, 2026. The budget is US$400,000.

Figures from the National Road Safety Council (NRSC) show that in 2022 there were 488 traffic deaths in Jamaica with the figure declining to 425 in 2023.

Up to May 13 this year, there were 155 deaths, which represents a three per cent decline compared with the corresponding period last year.

Jamaica's high road fatality figures place the country at the top of the list in relation to road fatalities in the region of the Americas.

Following a study of 2021 figures, the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that Jamaica's annual road fatality rate was 18 per 100,000 population, which was above the average of the Americas, that stood at 14.1 per 100,000 population.

Phillips said that as the 11th leading cause of premature deaths in Jamaica, road traffic crashes present a significant challenge.  

He credited Sir John Golding with spearheading representation that saw the establishment of the NRSC in 1993, but he said the entity has been starved of funding for public education as government subvention does not cover this. He said the National Health Fund financed an education programme for a decade but this ended in 2020.

The Opposition spokesperson said innovative and engaging public campaigns and programmes are needed to capture the attention of the public and to instil lasting behavioural change.

He said utilising multimedia platforms, interactive workshops and community outreach were ways to achieve greater awareness and compliance with road safety regulations.

- Carl Gilchrist

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