Jamaica’s road safety improvement

Jamaica is seeing an improvement in road safety, with a reduction in casualty levels. So far in 2017, overall road deaths have been 49 less than in the same period during 2016. The road death toll at the end of 2017 is hoped to be significantly lower than in 2016, itself an improvement over the previous year. During 2016 there were 379 road deaths in Jamaica, compared with 382 in 2015.
December 4, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Jamaica is seeing an improvement in road safety, with a reduction in casualty levels. So far in 2017, overall road deaths have been 49 less than in the same period during 2016. The road death toll at the end of 2017 is hoped to be significantly lower than in 2016, itself an improvement over the previous year. During 2016 there were 379 road deaths in Jamaica, compared with 382 in 2015.


One key strategy in reducing road deaths is in encouraging motorcyclists to wear helmets. Motorcyclists now account for over 30% of all road deaths in Jamaica, an increase from the 15% of 2010. And 90% of those motorcycle riders killed were not wearing helmets at the time of the crash. Road safety groups as well as the Jamaican police are pushing the message to riders that helmets can cut fatality rates. Meanwhile the Jamaican police force is also now trying to tackle speeding, another key factor in crash severity and risk.

Crashes place a heavy burden on the families of victims. A government report also suggests that crashes reduces Jamaica’s GDP by 3-5%, an economic impact the country can ill afford. The country is still aiming to meet the UN’s aims of reducing road deaths.

Related Content

  • British road safety; a small improvement
    May 26, 2023
    British road safety is showing a small but encouraging improvement.
    Read More
  • Japan’s safer roads see casualties fall
    January 10, 2018
    Japan has seen its road safety levels improve significantly in 2017, compared with the previous year. Data compiled by Japan’s National Police Agency shows that there were 3,694 traffic fatalities in the country in 2017, a drop of 210 from the previous year. There were 1,171 pedestrian fatalities, a drop of 1% from the previous year. Meanwhile vehicle occupants accounted for 1,106 deaths and 436 cyclists were killed in crashes. According to the authorities, tougher enforcement of road traffic rules played
    Read More
  • Safety improvements in developed nations
    August 20, 2013
    At a time when road safety is posing a significant threat to both human health and economic development around the world, it is worth noting that in many developed nations the situation is improving. The United Nations has identified road safety as a major problem and established its Decade of Action for Road Safety for the 2010-2020 period, in a bid to cut the growing death toll. But while developing nations are seeing a vast growth in vehicle numbers and road fatalities, the improving road safety situ
    Read More
  • Australia’s road safety problems are a cause for concern
    January 23, 2019
    The Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) has highlighted key problems with road safety. According to the ARRB, these issues must be addressed if Australia’s road casualty rate is to be reduced. Road death tolls are being reduced as he latest results show, but more work needs to be done. According to the ARRB, the road death tolls in Victoria dropped 20% for 2018 when compared with the previous year. This is a major improvement, showing the gains made by Victoria’s road agency VicRoads and the state’s Tr
    Read More

Highlighted Content