Phones, pedestrians a text for crashes

Davion Smith, Gleaner Writer

For some young persons, it seems as if the new road-crossing procedure is 'look left, look right, then look at my cell phone'.

Rural taxi operator Byron Allen told Automotives he has notice that the inattentive pedestrians are mostly children and young adults. "Younger folks don't look," Allen claimed. He said that when they are crossing the road, they are almost always using their cell phones.

Allen, who has been a taxi driver for over six years, says he has witnessed pedestrians crossing the roads carelessly several times. "Dem walk out in a di road at random not even a pay attention," Allen said.

Twenty-two-year-old Sekou Walters told Automotives that he was almost hit by a car last February when he was texting while walking along the road. "Mi did just a walk and mi get a ping on BBM and mi a pree it," Walters said. He admitted that using a cell phone while walking on the road is dangerous and said he is more careful now.

Paula Fletcher is also urging parents to accompany their "young ones" on the road. Fletcher said younger children are not as perceptive as adults when using the road, that they sometimes overlook road signals and step out in the road, causing accidents.

The National Road Safety Council Jamaica (NRSC) launched the 'Hands in the Air' pedestrian signal programme in 2004. The programme teaches children to put their hands in the air to make themselves more visible when they wish to cross the road. Fletcher emphasises that they shouldn't cross until they are acknowledged by motorists and said everyone - not only children - can use this approach.

Double Olympic 100m gold medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce also joined the campaign for road safety. Fraser-Pryce is seen in a commercial helping children develop safe road habits. As the NRSC continues to advocate road safety, Fletcher is encouraging motorists to be careful and vigilant on the roads. Pedestrians must also be more cautious where there are inadequate walking facilities.