NRSC mid-year review doubles down on motorcycle deaths and sub-300 road toll

Jamaica’s road-safety leadership is pressing harder to bring yearly traffic deaths below 300, putting motorcycle deaths and other at-risk road users at the centre of that push.

That stance was restated on Tuesday when the National Road Safety Council (NRSC) held its mid-year assessment of the National Road Safety Strategy at the Office of the Commissioner of Police in St Andrew. Officials from the NRSC, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and the JN Foundation reviewed how the island is tracking and where stronger action is needed.

Senior Superintendent of Police Lloyd Darby, who leads the JCF’s Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch (P-STEB), described the national goal as demanding yet within reach.

“Our Vision 2030 target is to record fewer than 300 road deaths annually. In 2025, Jamaica recorded 374 road deaths, a slight increase from the 365 recorded in 2024. This year, the high command is focused on achieving a sub-300 target by implementing strategies aimed at cutting motorcycle-related deaths by half and other vulnerable categories by 10 per cent,” Darby said.

He also said cutting traffic deaths carries the same weight as tackling serious crime. “We place equal emphasis on reducing road traffic fatalities involving pedestrians. Both of these stand as top priorities because of our focused deterrence strategy. We affirm that road safety matters are treated with the same gravity as serious crimes, and this reflects our holistic approach to public safety and national security,” Darby added.

Separately, police have cautioned that riders still make up an outsized share of road deaths. They reported that, since January, one of every three motorcyclists in crashes had no helmet on, and they called on riders to use certified helmets and other protective equipment whenever they are on public roads.

Island Traffic Authority data as of July 14 list 148 fatal crashes and 163 deaths — a 19 per cent drop and 39 fewer deaths than at the same point last year.

The latest appeal follows another motorcycle fatality. At about 10 a.m. on Monday at Matilda’s Corner in St Andrew, Michael Samms, a 27-year-old courier of a Kingston 16 address, was killed when the bike he was riding struck a Ford Ranger. Investigators are still probing the crash.