KINGSTON, Jamaica — Several insights and proposed strategies to tackle the complex issues surrounding road safety in developing countries such as Jamaica were offered by experts during today’s online discussion in recognition of the UN Global Road Safety Week.

The discussion, hosted by the National Road Safety Council (NRSC) in partnership with Jamaica National Foundation and the FIA Foundation, focused on the week’s theme “Streets for Life” and the thrust to establish 30 kph speed limits in high traffic areas.

The message from Prime Minister of Jamaica and Chair of the NRSC Andrew Holness was “Slow down and live!”

He confirmed that the Government “is giving serious consideration to the recommendation from the World Health Organization (WHO) for policy makers worldwide to adopt the Safe Systems approach to reducing road traffic injuries and deaths”.

While endorsing the safe speeds component that offers protection for pedestrians and other vulnerable road users, Holness referred to the “unacceptably high” numbers of deaths and injuries on Jamaican roads.

The council said its work in training motorcyclists and the government’s work on the Road Traffic Act, soon to be implemented, will have beneficial impacts.

Holness also launched an appeal for increased grant funding for developing countries, where 80 to 90 per cent of road fatalities occur.

Road safety and child health advocate Zoleka Mandela, made a passionate plea for “Streets for Life” — streets for people to walk, play and live. Noting that road traffic is the number one cause of death for five to 19-year-olds globally, she stressed the need for urgent action.

“We need to flatten this curve,” stressed Director of the Mona Geoinformatics Institute at the University of the West Indies Dr Parris Lyew-Ayee, Jr, while revealing that Jamaica is “heading in the wrong direction” in terms of road crash deaths — currently one death every 18 hours.

He emphasised that targeted intervention is required, as improvements “will not happen organically”.

Meanwhile, Dr Etienne Krug, director of the WHO’s Department for Management of Noncommunicable Diseases, Disability, Violence and Injury Prevention, reminded participants that if hit by a car, a person has a reasonable chance of survival at 30 kph — but not at higher speeds.

He went on to observe that the “vaccine” for safer streets is “political will.”

Krug’s comments were underlined by other panellists, including Saul Billingsley and Ari Silverman of the FIA Foundation.

Saul Billingsley observed that road users themselves are being blamed for crashes, but the heart of the matter is system failures.

“Our streets are essentially canyons for cars,” he added.

Manpreet Darroch, head of Communications at Youth for Road Safety (YOURS) in the UK, joined the panel discussion, stressing that, “Too many young people have seen their peers getting killed on the roads and we, as the young people, are stepping up and claiming our space.”

He noted that the critical first step was to get youth engaged in advocacy, adding that the use of creative tools and contemporary art forms was very effective at the Second World Youth Assembly for Road Safety, which took place in Stockholm in 2020.

Considering solutions, the FIA Foundation’s Saul Billingsley suggested that Jamaica and other countries where resources are stretched should “pick their battles” and pick the “low-hanging fruit”.

Since road safety is now incorporated into the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — included in Goal #3.6 — it is time for it to be taken seriously, added Julio Urzua of the International Road Assessment Programme (IRAP).

He added that spending money on safer road systems is a great return on investment.