Jamaica records 300 road deaths

Three hundred people have died on Jamaica’s roadways this year, marking the 14th straight year in which road fatalities have reached that figure.

Getting the death toll on the roadways below 300 has long been a target for local road safety advocates.

The last time Jamaica recorded fewer than 300 road deaths in a calendar year was 2012, when 260 people died in motor vehicle crashes.

A St Mary man became the latest fatality this year after he was hit by a car along the Rio Nuevo main road on Wednesday, according to a police report.

His name has not yet been released by the police.

Excessive speeding and “pedestrian walk [sic] into the road” were cited in the police report as possible causes of the 6 p.m. crash.

The 300 road deaths so far this year – 85 per cent males and 15 per cent females – represent an eight per cent decline year-on-year, according to the latest police data.

Jamaica recorded 374 road deaths last year and 365 in 2024, which ended five straight years of more than 400 road fatalities.

A breakdown of this year’s data shows that motorcyclists accounted for 83 road deaths, or 28 per cent, while private motor vehicle drivers and pedestrians each accounted for 65, or 22 per cent.

Speeding has been cited as the leading cause of fatalities in 70 crashes this year, though that number is down from 99 year-on-year, according to data published by the Island Traffic Authority.

Failing to keep to the proper traffic lane, improper overtaking and pedestrians walking into the roadway are the other leading causes of fatal crashes.

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