The Island Traffic Authority (ITA) is reporting that the number of children killed in motor vehicle crashes so far this year has seen a shocking 46 percent increase when compared with the same period in 2023, with 19 deaths recorded up to Friday, November 15.
The Authority noted that among the 320 people who perished in motor vehicle crashes up to November 15 this year were nineteen children and 32 elderly persons, with children making up approximately six percent of all road deaths while the elderly account for 10 per cent.
The report also says pedestrian fatalities and fatal crashes decreased by eleven per cent when compared with the similar period in 2023.
While 57 drivers of private motor vehicles were killed in 57 fatal crashes up to November 15, there has been a sharp 17 per cent reduction in fatalities among this category of road users.
The agency further revealed that there have been 30 multiple fatal collisions up to November 15 which have resulted in 72 deaths.
In 2023, statistics from the Road Safety Unit (RSU) also suggested concerning numbers of road fatalities among the nation’s youth. Some 170 children and youth under the age of 29 were killed in 145 road crashes in Jamaica in 2022, with 84 per cent of the victims being males and 16 per cent females.
Source: TBC Radio