Gov’t Intensifies Push To Cut Road Deaths In Half By 2030 | RJR News
By Nakinskie Robinson
Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness has mandated Jamaica’s first muti-stakeholder National Road Safety Planning Meeting to work towards ensuring that the country does not miss its target to slash road deaths in half by 2030.
In 2020, Jamaica recorded 433 road fatalities.
The target was then set to cut road fatalities in half by 2030.
Speaking on behalf of Dr. Holness at the National Road Safety Planning Meeting on Thursday, State Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, Senator Abka Fitz-Henley indicated that despite a reduction this year, the Prime Minister is concerned that more needs to be done to save lives and reduce road fatalities:
“Jamaica joined the United Nations Second Decade of Action for Safety in October 2021. We had committed then to cutting that number in half by the year 2030, that is to approximately 217 fatalities annually. In 2024 fatalities fell by 14 per cent, well under 400, but in 2025, unfortunately the numbers began to spike again. To obtain our target in 2030, we need a decrease by at least 10 per cent every year for five years. The pace achieved so far is not enough, and that is why this meeting has been called to address this pressing concern,” he said.
Dr. Holness is chairman of the National Road Safety Council.
The meeting had representatives from the National Road Safety Council, the justice, health and national security ministries, along with the private sector and academia.
Minister Fitz-Henley indicated that the Government has taken a studied and practical approach as it intensifies its drive to reduce road fatalities.
“A recent PAHO-commissioned Safety Management Capacity Assessment study made it clear Jamaica needs stronger governance, better coordination, integrated planning, sustainable financing and greater accountability if we are serious about meeting our target in approximately four years’ time. The Prime Minister is pleased to convene Jamaica’s first National Safety Planning Meeting, and this will become a consistent part of the planning cycle to be convened twice each year at the NRSC,” he advised.