Road safety council concerned about 'surge' in pedestrian deaths

Vice Chairman of the National Road Safety Council, Dr Lucien Jones, is expressing concern regarding what he has described as an alarming "surge” in the number of pedestrian deaths since the start of the year.

As of Wednesday, 12 of the 22 people who have lost their lives in road crashes were pedestrians, according to the council’s data.

“This is a cause for concern in the context that this is the first time we have had this kind of surge in pedestrian deaths, whether at the beginning of the year or the end of the year and, over the years, pedestrian deaths and motorcycle deaths have been the two categories of road users which have posed the greatest problem for the country in terms of reduction of fatalities.

“So this is not a good sign, the fact that we have had this kind of surge in pedestrian deaths, because, unlike other categories of road users, including motorcyclists, it is very difficult to police pedestrians and reduce pedestrian fatalities,” he said.

Pedestrian and driver error are the reasons blamed for the deaths of the pedestrians.

“Pedestrian error means primarily walking into the road without due care," Jones explained.

Jones said while one can set up speed bumps or enforce speeding regulations for drivers, it is more difficult to address the pedestrian deaths as there is no policing of pedestrians.

“And in Jamaica right now, we don't have enough pedestrian crossing or overhead bridges or walkways that can facilitate pedestrians walking safely,” he continued.

Additionally, he said there is no jaywalk legislation.

“Pedestrians are walking and paying more attention to their cellphones rather than paying attention to what is happening on the road. They are walking out in the street carelessly and, therefore, it is going to be a challenge to try and bring down this number,” Jones said.

However, he said some progress is being made as the Ministry of Transport has revived the action plan for pedestrian safety, which was submitted to the prime minister some years ago, although it is going to take some time for the committee to execute the action plan.

In the meantime, he is encouraging pedestrians to exercise care on the road, including wearing bright colours and avoiding drinking and getting drunk or smoking marijuana while walking.

A total of 364 people died on the country's roadways last year, the lowest in seven years, according to official data.

Jamaica recorded over 400 road deaths for each calendar year from 2019 to 2023, including the historic 488 deaths in 2022.

- Tanesha Mundle

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