According to the RSU, fatalities have increased by 47 per cent this year when compared with the similar period last year.
In this regard, director of the RSU, Kenute Hare, is appealing to motorists to use their seat belts whenever they get into a vehicle.
Hare contended that in many of the cases passengers could have escaped death if they had been wearing their seat belts.
The RSU director is advising all drivers and passengers travelling in motor cars to buckle up, even if they are riding in the rear of the motor vehicle. "An appeal also goes out to parents and guardians to ensure that all babies and toddlers are properly fastened in a child seat every time," Hare said in a release yesterday.
Some 123 persons have died in traffic accidents since January, putting the recently launched 'Below 300' project under serious threat.
Hare is calling on the nation to 'Drive for Life' and "work assiduously to ensure that for the period of April-June 2009, fewer than 70 persons or, better yet, no one is killed on our roadways."
Special precautions
The RSU is also asking parents to take special care to ensure their child's safety by:
Ensuring that every time they are transported in a motor vehicle, they are fastened in a child seat.
Ensure that whenever a bicycle is purchased for a child, a helmet, knee pad and elbow pad are procured for them at the same time.
Ensure that they are not allowed to walk on the roadways without adult supervision.