$155 Million from Traffic Fines to Bolster Road Safety

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Minister of Energy, Transport and Telecommunications, Hon. Daryl Vaz, says that approximately $155 million has been allotted to the Ministry to bolster national road-safety measures.

He said that the sum, which is five per cent of total traffic fines paid from April 2025 to March 2026, will be used to fund a sustained national public education campaign, among other initiatives to promote road safety.

“It works out to about $13 million a month, and some of these funds will go a far way in putting together a public education campaign and behaviour change interventions across the country,” he told the House.

Minister Vaz was making his contribution to the 2026/27 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (May 5).

He said that road safety is a national priority, with increased focus to be placed on reducing the number of fatalities over the next few months.

The National Road Safety Policy, which has been updated to reflect current realities and align with the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, will guide targeted interventions to reduce fatalities and injuries while strengthening coordination across Jamaica.

Road fatalities increased marginally by two per cent between 2024 and 2025, moving from 365 to 374.

Minister Vaz said that preliminary data for 2026 is encouraging, indicating a 32 per cent reduction in fatalities, to date, when compared with the corresponding period last year.

Meanwhile, he said that the Ministry is advancing the revision of the National Transport Policy and Action Plan to support a modern multimodal system that strengthens infrastructure, improves connectivity, enhances safety and security, and advances sustainability.

“With the support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the updated framework is being finalised for submission to Cabinet as a Green Paper in this financial year,” Mr. Vaz said.

He told the House that the Transport Authority has implemented several strategic initiatives to improve service quality, strengthen performance management and enhance order across the sector.

“During the period under review, 1,915 vehicles operating illegally were seized and 19,413 enforcement actions were carried out against operators. The measures have strengthened compliance, improved order in the sector and contributed to a record licensing year, reflecting a 3.8 per cent increase over the previous year,” he told the House.

He informed that through sustained partnership among the authority, Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and the Island Traffic Authority, islandwide monitoring activities have been sustained, noting that the collaborations continue to improve order and safety within the public transportation system.