A total of 50 people were killed in 41 fatal motor vehicle crashes in November, according to statistics released Wednesday by the Road Safety Unit (RSU).
That compares with 43 deaths in November last year and 30 in the same month in 2020.
A breakdown of the statistics shows St Ann with eight and St Andrew with seven are the two parishes with the highest number of road user deaths this month.
Westmoreland and St Catherines each had five deaths, followed by Manchester and Clarendon with four each.
Hanover, St. James and Portland each had four deaths in November, while Kingston, Trelawney, St. Mary’s and St. Elizabeth’s had two each in November. The East Parish of St. Thomas was the safest, with no deaths recorded.
The RSU said the top three categories with the most deaths in November were motorcyclists with 18 deaths, pedestrians with 10 and private car drivers with 17 deaths.
According to the RSU, the leading cause of death was speeding without regard to road conditions. Motorcyclists accounted for 36 percent of all deaths in November, it said.
A closer look at the statistics reveals the following:
– Pedestrians account for 20% of road user fatalities in November 2022
· Private car drivers accounted for 14%
· Private car passengers accounted for 80%
· Sixty percent of the passengers are in the back seat
· 2% of public motor vehicle passengers
· Vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and rear seat passengers) accounted for 62 per cent of all road deaths last month.
Meanwhile, Dr Parris Lyew-Ayee, vice-president of the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica (PSOJ), warned last week that on current trends, more than 40 more motor vehicle deaths could be lost by the end of the year.
He sounded the warning at a PSOJ public order and safety press conference.
At a news conference on Nov. 30, he noted that 431 people had died in 375 fatal crashes since the beginning of the year. The Christmas season typically sees a spike in motor vehicle accidents and fatalities.
As of Wednesday, December 7, the death toll from motor vehicle accidents was 444.
