Experts seeing slow behaviour change from new Road Traffic Act
Published:Monday | August 14, 2023 | 12:09 AM
The Government has collected millions from ticket fines since the implementation of new road traffic legislation in February, but safety experts say they will have to wait until year end to evaluate its impact on behaviour change among users of the nation’s roads.
The findings may serve as vindication for Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who earlier this year had to defend himself against critics who regarded the new road traffic fines as more of a revenue-bolstering measure than one aimed at road safety.
As it is, 2023 fatality statistics seem to be on a downward trajectory, compared to previous years - especially when measured against 2022, when a record 488 deaths occurred, one more than the previous year. Up to August 10 this year, the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch listed 238 deaths from 219 collisions. In 2022 and 2021, those figures were 299 deaths from 262 collisions, and 300 deaths from 267 collisions, for the same period, respectively.
Dr Lucien Jones, chairman of the National Road Safety Council (NRSC), was unwilling to jump the gun with excitement as he did in March, following a drastic reduction in incidents after the new law.
“But I think we are at a point now where we can reasonably say that at the very least, the hype and the discussion around the Road Safety Act have percolated down the system and we are having some kind of behaviour change. I don’t think we can go much further than that,” offered Jones, adding that a clearer assessment can only be made at the end of the year.
“But I don’t think there is any shadow of a doubt that the introduction has caused some change. People are now afraid of the kinds of fines that come and the possibility of having their licences suspended. Increased police presence on the road has also made a difference.”
Nothing to celebrate
Parris Lyew-Ayee Jr, analyst and vice-president of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), was much bolder.
He explained that based on current statistics, it would take a significant fatality rate per day to surpass the 2022 record. This he does not see happening, with less than half the year to go.
“So, I think we are going to be well below, but it is still nothing to celebrate,” he continued, noting that the numbers are still high.
His comments followed the signing of an agreement for the National Helmet Wearing Coalition Project, held at the JN Foundation’s New Kingston offices last Thursday.
That project is aimed at promoting behaviour change among cyclists, who make up the majority of the six persons killed in collisions with stray animals this year. At least one motorcyclist was hospitalised after colliding with a truck on Salt Spring Road. This was not far from where a trailer overturned hours earlier, crushing a man inside his car on the weekend.
Within six days of the new act, the police issued some 5,533 electronic tickets, amounting to more than $39.9 million. It was not immediately clear last week the total revenue made from tickets since the start of the year.
Decade of Action
At the same time, Jamaica, observing solidarity with the World Health Organization’s and the United Nation’s Global Decade of Action for Road Safety, which aims to prevent at least 50 per cent of road traffic deaths and injuries in the next seven years, has much more work to do than enforcing speeding and safety regulations.
The increased fines and awareness among motorists is just one tool, said Jones, drawing attention to other components, such as the road conditions – including appropriate engineering, markings, and the eradication of potholes, which reportedly played a part in the deaths of five motorcyclists who collided with a bus in Temple Hall, St Andrew, shortly after the new laws were rolled out in February.
Jones is hoping greater discussion will be generated regarding the road conditions, and that there will be a domino effect in addressing the three fundamental factors impacting Jamaica’s road woes: safe road users, safe roads, and safe vehicles.
“We have a lot of work to do. We are still keeping our eyes on other areas of road safety. The issue of safer roads is a huge one in terms of road markings and road furniture, potholes... . Roads such as those on the north coast, which are famously slippery, even when dry, which have accounted for a lot of fatal crashes,” he told The Gleaner earlier this year, adding that dialogue with the National Works Agency to fix certain problematic roadways has been fruitless, as the agency says it cannot afford to.