Hanover traffic chief urges safer driving after 11 road deaths

Sergeant Darral Ellis, the sub-officer responsible for traffic in Hanover, is warning that too many people using the parish’s roads are ignoring traffic laws, a problem he links to crashes, especially deadly ones.

Ellis said his main worry is that drivers are not following the Road Traffic Act and the basic rules meant to guide safe movement on the road. “My biggest concern is that motorists are not adhering to requirements of the Road Traffic Act – the rules of the road – and it is that failure to comply with these laws why we are having those accidents,” said Ellis.

He was speaking at a recent community meeting in Hopewell arranged to help residents better understand the Road Traffic Act. Ellis told the meeting that from January 1, 2026, to June 3, 2026, Hanover recorded 10 fatal road crashes, with 11 people losing their lives.

“We have a number of motorcyclists involved in those accidents, but the majority of them (vivtims) were [from] motor vehicles,” he explained.

Ellis did not present figures to support the point, but said motorcycle crashes in the parish have fallen so far this year when compared with 2025.

In recent months, several Hanover stakeholders have pushed the Hanover Municipal Corporation to place rumble strips at dangerous crash locations. Among those making the call were Superintendent Andrew Nish, who heads the Hanover police; Oniel Henry, from the Hanover branch of the Jamaica Fire Brigade Hanover Division; and Shermaine Anderson-Gayle, president of the Hanover Chamber of Commerce.

The areas identified as black spots, meaning places where crashes happen often, include the road leading towards Round Hill Hotel, the Point roadway near the approach to Grand Palladium Hotel, the Green Island main road, and the Orange Bay main road. All are on the Montego Bay-to-Negril corridor.

Ellis, however, appeared doubtful that rumble strips would be the best answer. “Those spaces are causes for concern, but when we look at the type of accidents that are occurring there, I don’t think that placing those rumble strips there would be the ideal solution to the problems,” he said. “What people need to do is comply with the rules of the road and reduce their speed while driving.”

He also said sustained public education, including more community sessions and other outreach, could help improve how people behave on the roads.

“Be your brother’s keeper, it makes no sense that you are dead right, so look out for each other along the roadways, and that is a subtle request within the laws of the land. Let us all return home safely,” Ellis said.