The UK is working with Jamaica to drive down its road deaths

A new partnership between Jamaica and the UK is intended to reduce road deaths in the Caribbean country. This novel agreement on improving road safety forms part of international twinning programme. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the International Transport Forum (ITF) at the OECD are joining forces for this twinning initiative. Under the programme Jamaica and the UK will promote the implementation of best practices in road safety data collection. The goal of the twinning is to help Jamaica a
April 11, 2013 Read time: 3 mins
RSSA new partnership between Jamaica and the UK is intended to reduce road deaths in the Caribbean country. This novel agreement on improving road safety forms part of international twinning programme. The 2791 Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the 1102 International Transport Forum (ITF) at the OECD are joining forces for this twinning initiative. Under the programme Jamaica and the UK will promote the implementation of best practices in road safety data collection. The goal of the twinning is to help Jamaica align its road safety data to international standards - as recommended by ITF’s International Traffic Safety Data and Analysis Group (IRTAD) - as an important step towards more effective road safety policies. Compared with the Americas as a whole, the share of road deaths in the non-Latin Caribbean is currently more than 2.5 times higher than its share of registered vehicles. The Road Safety Unit of Jamaica’s Ministry of Transport, Works and Housing is leading the way on road crash data in the Caribbean. With the help of the twinning programme, Jamaica will be put into a position to share best practices and knowledge with other countries in the region.

The first aspect of the twinning initiative is currently being carried out by the Transport Research Laboratory (777 TRL) and has the financial support of IDB. It involves a comprehensive review of how data relevant for road safety analyses are collected, stored, analysed in Jamaica, and how they are then used to inform road safety strategies and interventions. As part of the review, the TRL team interviewed representatives from the Jamaican Police Force, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of National Security, universities and the Maritime Training Institute. During a one-day workshop, participants were presented with crash data systems and how to devise evidence-led road safety policies to more than 70 participants from seven other Caribbean countries (Jamaica, Barbados, Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Belize and Guyana) which was organised by IDB.

Under the objectives of the IDB´s Road Safety Strategy for the Latin American and the Caribbean region, the bank aims to support the Latin American countries in strengthening their institutional and technical capacities in road safety throughout activities such this. The International Transport Forum initiated the first road safety twinning programme between Argentina and Spain in 2009, which subsequently led to the creation of the Ibero American Road Safety Observatory. The joint initiative of ITF, IDB and the Jamaican and UK governments forms part of their commitment to the United Nation’s 3439 Decade of Action for Road Safety, which aims to stabilise and reduce the number of global road fatalities, currently at 1.3 million/year, by 2020.

Related Content

  • Australia promotes sustainable transport initiatives
    July 13, 2012
    Roads Australia is encouraging its members to get behind TravelSmart, the government-led campaign to promote sustainable transport alternatives and reduce our reliance on private cars. A number of TravelSmart initiatives and programmes were highlighted at a recent meeting of RA's Congestion Chapter. It was stressed at the meeting that Roads Australia members could set an example for the community by getting its organisations more involved in the programme.
    Read More
  • ASEAN Investors’ Brief: A Dynamic hub for Road Programs
    August 22, 2016
    If the countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) formed a single economic entity, they would represent the 7th largest economy in the world, with an expectation to be the 4th largest by 2050 on current growth patterns. It is a region with much unrealised potential and favourable demographic trends. It also lies at the heart of several regional trade initiatives that will significantly boost infrastructure investments in the region, such as China’s 'One Belt, One Road' programme
    Read More
  • At IRF Event in Riyadh, Key Policy Makers Debate a World of Transport Challenges
    December 12, 2013
    26 countries participated in a ministerial roundtable on the occasion of the 17th IRF World Meeting & Exhibition in Riyadh on November 10-14, 2013. The roundtable was convened to address key challenges faced by the sector, and discuss a long-term agenda that builds on successful policies and programs.
    Read More
  • Rural roads important to global development
    April 12, 2012
    Maryvonne Plessis-Fraissard highlights that the key importance of rural roads in the context of global development is only now being fully recognised, is not receiving enough attention and is facing vital new challenges Rural roads have only relatively recently received attention in development research. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, or World Bank, moved away from the World War II reconstruction mandate during the early 1960s to start, and address, the "Third World" developme
    Read More

Highlighted Content