Thursday Identified as Safest Day for Jamaican Road Users

The article reports that Thursday is the safest day for Jamaican road users with only five fatalities, while Wednesday is the deadliest with 20 fatalities. Overall, there has been a decrease in road fatalities by 17% and crashes by 12%. Vulnerable road users account for 59% of all fatalities recorded this year.

In Jamaica, Thursday has emerged as the safest day for road users, currently reporting only five fatalities from four fatal crashes for the year. This data was released by the Island Traffic Authority (ITA) for the week ending March 28. Conversely, Wednesday has been identified as the deadliest day, experiencing 20 fatalities from 20 fatal crashes, followed closely by Sunday with 19 deaths from 13 crashes.

A tragic incident on Wednesday morning along the PJ Patterson Highway contributed to the statistics. This collision resulted in the deaths of four individuals, including two females and an eight-year-old minor. Following Wednesday, Saturday recorded 15 fatalities, while Monday, Tuesday, and Friday each documented 13, 10, and 10 deaths respectively, from corresponding fatal crashes since the beginning of the year.

Overall, the ITA reported that at least 92 individuals have lost their lives in 83 fatal crashes thus far in the year. Notably, fatalities have declined by 17 percent compared to the previous year, with fatal crashes down by 12 percent as of March 28. This year, the victims included 24 motorcyclists, 23 drivers, 20 pedestrians, and nine passengers from private vehicles.

Vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, and pillion passengers, constituted approximately 59 percent of all fatalities recorded this year. Furthermore, passengers accounted for 18 percent of the total fatalities, where males represented 81 percent of the victims and females 19 percent.

In summary, while Thursday stands as the safest day for Jamaican road users, Wednesday has proven to be the most hazardous. Overall traffic fatalities have decreased this year, but vulnerable road users remain at significant risk, highlighting the need for continued attention to road safety measures in Jamaica.

Original Source: www.jamaicaobserver.com