As Jamaicans awake to a ‘new era’ on Wednesday (February 1), Minister of Transport and Mining Audley Shaw says that the newly enacted Road Traffic Act has already led to a downward trend in road fatalities for the month of January.

Shaw, during yesterday afternoon’s sitting of the House of Representatives, claimed that public awareness of the long-heralded legislation was behind road fatalities plummeting 44 per cent when compared to January 2022.

“Madam Speaker, heightened awareness is already having a positive impact on driver behaviour. [The] crash report for January of this year shows a 44 per cent reduction in road deaths compared to the same period last year,” said Shaw to rapturous applause in Gordon House.

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While citing a crash report, more granular information was not forthcoming from the minister, who moved on to list changes the commuting public can expect across the national road network effective today.

The most recent data from the Road Safety Unit (RSU) indicated that 18 people have died in 16 fatal motor vehicle collisions in Jamaica as at January 27, 2023.

Inversely to a similar period in 2022, the statistics revealed a 53 per cent decline in road fatalities and a 50 per cent decline in fatal crashes.

Crash hotspot parishes of St Catherine and Manchester each accounted for 22 per cent of the road deaths, ahead of St Elizabeth and St Andrew tied at 17 per cent.

Meanwhile, 72 per cent of road-related deaths recorded since January came from the most vulnerable road users group—pedestrians, pedal cyclists, motorcyclists and pillion riders.