A section of Highway 2000 between Bushy Park and Mandela Highway in St Catherine. - File
There has been a marginal increase in the number of traffic crashes on both legs of Highway 2000. There have been 89 accidents on the highway this year, compared to 84 in the corresponding period in 2008.
Colin Murray, financial and administrative manager at the Jamaican Infrastructure Operator Ltd, said none of the accidents from January to May last year were serious but he has confirmed that four accidents which occurred on the Mandela to Sandy Bay leg in 2009 have been deadly.
While the accidents do not occur on any specific stretch of the highway, Murray revealed that most take place at or while the drivers are approaching the toll plazas.
"The primary cause of these accidents is motorists changing lanes on approaching the toll plazas or failing to stop in the toll lanes," Murray told The Gleaner.
Safety standards
He said that, compared to other roads, the volume of vehicles that utilise the highway is far higher, and the standards to which the highway was built make it safer.
"Highway 2000 motorways are designed in accordance with internationally accepted safety standards to allow for higher-speed travel and is, by far, a safer medium compared to other roadways," Murray added.
He said safety measures on the highway include the elimination of vehicular interaction such as crossing, passing without the benefit of overtaking lanes and opposite-directional traffic.
There is also another feature that works on reducing crash severity. These are the grassy areas that allow for follow through and lower fatality rates in the event of an accident. This, he said, was instrumental in saving the life of 100-metre sprint sensation Usain Bolt.
"After Bolt came off the road, the vehicle continued on a grassy area," Murray explained.
Minister of Transport and Works, Mike Henry, said during the official launch of Road Safety Month on Wednesday last week, that the fata-lity rate among men was alarming.
"Over 90 per cent of the drivers involved in the 138 fatal crashes, which produced the 158 deaths so far this year, were males, and over 85 per cent of the persons killed in the road crashes were males," he said.
This situation, he said, is causing the Jamaican male to become "an endangered species in the traffic environment". On June 11, another person died in a motor-vehicle accident, bringing the total deaths since the beginning of year to 159.
Director of the Road Safety Unit, Kenute Hare, said males should be more careful on the road because the loss of life means a disruption in the family structure.
Speed limits
He is pleading with drivers to adhere to the speed limits and respect the instructions of toll officials, such as warning cones installed to guide motorists when smoke from sugar-cane field fires affect visibility.
"Whenever it is smoking and the highway workers put barriers in the road, people remove them, because they do not want to wait until the smoke clears," Hare told The Gleaner.
Additionally, he said they should ensure that they have correct tyres.
"We would like to encourage motorists who use the toll road to ensure they have proper types, which is a tread depth of 1.66, the internationally accepted standard, and that they are properly inflated," said Hare.
Road warnings
1. Observe warning signs.
2. Do not operate vehicles with worn or defective tyres.
3. Maintain correct tyre pressure.
4. Desist from making tailgate manoeuvres, which is following too close behind the other vehicle.
5. Stay at least two car lengths from the vehicle in front of you.
6. Motorcyclists, pedal cyclists and pillion passengers should wear helmets at all times.
7. Buckle up at all times - even passengers who travel in the back of the vehicles.
8. Parents and guardians should protect the little ones by transporting them in child seats and restraints.
9. Ensure that you adhere to speed limits, especially on wet surfaces.
10. Always remember to drive on the left and overtake on the right.
Tips provided by Kenute Hare, director of the Road Safety Unit, and Colin Murray, financial and administrative manager at the Jamaican Infrastructure Operator Ltd.