Dr Lucien Jones, vice-chairman of the National Road Safety Council (NRSC), yesterday made an appeal to bus and taxi drivers to be more careful while on the island's roadways, especially during the Yuletide season.

"There are too many of us who are using the roads that are behaving in a way that is leading to chaos, death and injury," he said.

"There are too many of us who are breaking the basic laws of our country, not just those involved in public transportation."

Jones was addressing members of the Jamaica Transport Service (JTS) during a press conference at the Medallion Hall Hotel in St Andrew yesterday.

Set an example

He urged those present to set an example for other road users, particularly those operating illegal buses and taxis. Some 12 taxi operators have been killed in road crashes since the start of the year.

"You not only have a role in transporting people but you also have a role in terms of helping others to observe the laws in our country," he said. "If all of us remain patient and observe the laws of the road, then other people will behave in similar fashion."

Yesterday's meeting with members of the JTS was part of the public education component of the Save 300 Project, a national initiative to reduce road crashes to below the 300 mark.

Three main objectives

According to Paula Fletcher, executive director of the NRSC, there are three main objectives the organisation will be working to meet under the project, including the adoption of a new Road Traffic Act and the improvement of services offered by the Island Traffic Authority.

"We have been working on that for some time and we are hoping that by next year we will have that in place," she said.

Fletcher said the act would speak to such issues as cellphone usage, international tyre standards and vehicle tinting.

Meanwhile, head of the traffic division and highway patrol, Superintendent Fred Hibbert said that, based on statistics, it appeared that female drivers were safer and more careful on the roads. He suggested that bus and taxi organisations should consider employing more women.

"Women have proven to be the rose among the thorns," he said. Men between the age of 20 and 39 are responsible for most of the people dying on our roads."

Road fatalities

A total of 235 men have been killed on the island's roads, compared to 59 women.