JAMAICANS are far more likely to be killed in a road crash in this country than in any other.

“You are nine times more likely to be killed in a road crash in Jamaica than you are in England,” said Chris Hind, GM of JN General Insurance Company (JNGI).

Hind was addressing delegates to the Jamaica Dental Association’s 2015 Convention, at Club Hotel Riu Ocho Rios, recently.

The latest World Health Organisation’s Injury Chart book shows that there are seven road fatalities per 100,000 vehicles on the road each year in the United Kingdom, compared with 65 deaths per 100,000 vehicles in Jamaica.

The United States of America had 15 road deaths per 100,000 vehicles, or a third of the level in Jamaica, while Trinidad and Tobago also had a significantly lower level, at 44 per 100,000 vehicles.

“Poor use of the road is a big problem in Jamaica. Yet we seem to accept the carnage with great equanimity, as if it is a routine part of living in the modern world,” said Hind.

For the years 2014 and 2015, between 600 and 700 Jamaicans will die on the country’s roads, he stated.

“That number of road fatalities in Jamaica is totally shocking; but, unfortunately, not entirely surprising, because I see the standard of driving on our roads every day,” said Hind.

To tackle that road carnage, JNGI launched its Crash Hotspot road safety campaign two years ago, using research conducted by Dr Parris Lyew-Ayee and his team at Mona GeoInformatics at The University of the West Indies. The most dangerous stretches of the country’s road network were identified, and Crash Hot Spot signs were prominently erected in these areas to warn drivers to be cautious.

The hotspots included a 12-kilometre section of the North Coast Highway at Runaway Bay, which is the deadliest stretch of road in Jamaica, having had 65 fatalities, during January 2000 and December 2010.

Closer to Kingston, an eight-kilometre stretch of the Mandela Highway at Caymanas accounted for 52 fatalities over the period.

“We are currently working with Mona GeoInformatics on a follow-up study, to establish whether our Crash Hotspot initiative has made our drivers more conscious of the conditions of our roads,” he said.

“As a major motor insurer in Jamaica, JNGI has a vested interest in improving this situation quickly.”

Additionally, good drivers can expect to benefit from incentives from their insurers, and JNGI also has a special focus on young drivers who want to adopt and demonstrate good driving habits.

“Those who pass the Jamaica Automobile Association’s ‘Driver Improvement Programme’ will receive a major discount on their premium,” Hind added.