Traffic ticket points reset set for August as Jamaica rolls out road safety reforms

Effective 1 August, the Government will reset points on several categories of outstanding traffic tickets to support the rollout of a new ticketing system and broader efforts to improve road safety and public order. The move was among decisions taken at last Thursday’s meeting of the National Road Safety Council, chaired by Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness.

The council also set timelines for offence-point schedules, photo-enforcement rules, and related regulations. The health ministry will refresh its road-crash study, HART NSDA Trust will train motorcyclists, the Government will buy 10,000 helmets, and Jamaica Customs will be briefed on helmet import standards. The JCF aims to integrate IMAP into its private cloud and tighten enforcement against repeat offenders. Forty per cent of 2025 road fatalities involved repeat Road Traffic Act offenders.

Separately, a $16 million contract has been signed to renovate the National Chest Hospital’s blood collection centre. Skyar Building Construction and Maintenance Company Limited will carry out roofing repairs, painting, air-conditioning installation, and utility upgrades. Minister of State Crystal Lee said the work backs efforts to expand voluntary donation and reliable access to safe blood, moving away from replacement donations. The site collects up to 8,000 units yearly, about 22 per cent of national supply. Donors may visit centres listed at nbts.gov.jm.

Minister of Health and Wellness Dr. Christopher Tuftton told Parliament last week that the Government will develop a research-based policy framework on social media’s impact on children and adolescents. Work will cover age-based access rules, platform accountability, digital-health guidance, school digital-wellness education, expanded youth mental-health services, and usage monitoring linked to mental-health outcomes.

Ninety-six new Jamaica Fire Brigade recruits from intake 27 graduated after a 13-week induction and will deploy islandwide following a ceremony at Iona High School in St. Mary. The group comprises 85 men and 11 women. Minister of Local Government and Community Development Desmond McKenzie urged respect for firefighters’ service, including work during Hurricane Melissa, and said the administration will continue resourcing the brigade.

The Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation is stepping up enforcement under its signage regularization drive. Mayor Councillor Andrew Swaby said some businesses plan to swap non-compliant signs for new ads instead of seeking approval. Display of advertising signs requires prior approval under the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations, 1978, and the Kingston and St. Andrew Building Act, 2018. Entities are urged to regularize signage with the corporation to avoid repeated enforcement action.