August traffic ticket points reset among road safety, health, and municipal moves

The Government will reset demerit points on selected traffic tickets from 1 August 2026 as it introduces a new ticketing system and strengthens road-safety enforcement. The measure was agreed at last Thursday’s meeting of the National Road Safety Council, chaired by Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

Council members also settled timetables for offence-related points, adjustments to the points schedule, and regulations governing photo-enforcement cameras. The Ministry of Health and Wellness will update its study on road crashes and their impact on the health system. HEART NSTA Trust will train motorcyclists, the state will purchase 10,000 helmets, and the Jamaica Customs Agency will be briefed on new helmet import standards. The Jamaica Constabulary Force plans to speed integration of IMAP into its private cloud to support funding and software use, with added focus on repeat Road Traffic Act offenders and execution of warrants. Information from the meeting showed that 40 per cent of road fatalities in 2025 involved repeat offenders under the act.

National Chest Hospital’s blood collection centre is to undergo a $16 million upgrade under a contract with Skymar Building Construction and Maintenance Company Limited for roofing repairs, painting, air-conditioning installation, and utility works. Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Wellness Christopher Lee said the project supports a national effort to strengthen voluntary blood donation and move away from replacement donations, with donors encouraged to give regularly—up to four times per year. The facility collects up to 8,000 units annually, about 22 per cent of the national supply. Collection centres are listed at nbts.gov.jm.

Health and Wellness Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton told Parliament last week that the Government will develop a research-based policy framework on social media’s impact on children and adolescents. Planned areas include age-based access rules, stronger platform accountability, national digital health guidelines, school-based digital wellness education, expanded youth mental health services, public awareness for parents and caregivers, and a national surveillance system on usage patterns and related mental health outcomes.

Ninety-six Jamaica Fire Brigade recruits—85 men and 11 women from Intake 27—completed a 13-week induction and will deploy islandwide after graduating at Iona High School in St. Mary. Minister of Local Government and Community Development Desmond McKenzie urged the public to respect firefighters’ service and praised brigade members’ work during Hurricane Melissa.

The Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation is intensifying signage enforcement under its regularisation initiative. Mayor Andrew Swaby said some businesses have signalled they may replace removed signs instead of complying. Public advertising is governed by the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations, 1978, and the Kingston and St. Andrew Building Act, 2018, and approvals are required before display. Entities are urged to regularise signage and engage the corporation rather than face repeated enforcement.