Marlon Vickerman, Gleaner Writer

A bus and trailer which were involved in an accident on Spanish Town Road, May 22 last year. - file

According to statistics from the National Road Safety Council, Spanish Town Road in St. Andrew was the most deadly 'bad spot' for motor vehicular accidents in 2006.

A total of 11 fatalities were reported from seven car crash incidents on that stretch of road last year.

A visit to the location would reveal that these statistics are not surprising. A Gleaner news team spent a few hours in the area recently and observed wreckless driving on the part of many motorists.

In the time that the news team spent in the area, cars, buses and trucks weaved in and out of lines like a shoe being laced in a jiffy. And even if the pace of traffic was slow, some motorists often did not hit the indicator switch until they had initiated or completed their move.

It's driving habits like these, that 'Jack', a long-time vendor in the Three Miles area of Spanish Town Road, says caused the accidents he witnessed.

"The driver dem on the road driving too fast and too bad ya man!" he exclaimed. "Is that causing the bag a accidents out here. Is as simple as dat."

Jack went on to say that some of the many accidents, some fatal, which he has witnessed along Spanish Town Road, including one in 2006, in which, he said, a truck 'ran over a motor car' that had children onboard. Jack said that a youngster travelling in the motor car seemed to have been seriously hurt, as he was unconscious when he was removed from the vehicle.

The vendor then went on to relay the horrific details of an accident that claimed the life of a friend of his, affectionately called 'Junior', May of this year. "Junior was one a those men who usually load the buses out here in Three Miles. The other day, in May, he and his baby mother was standing near the Hunts Bay Police Station when a truck jumped the median, got out of control and hit him," said Jack.

"It sad, because Junior saw what was about to happen, so he pushed his baby mommy out of the way, but bwoy, like him neva tek weh himself fast enough so the vehicle killed him."

Four killed

The tales of tragedy stretched along the entirety of Spanish Town Road, as another vendor, this time in the vicinity of the Red Stripe plant, related. He said that the most devastating accident he has ever witnessed was in May, 2006, when two trucks were reportedly racing along the roadway. One of the trucks lost traction and ran into a parked Coaster bus on the side of the road, killing four persons, including the driver.

Constable Kenton Walters of the Hunt's Bay Police Station traffic department, said reckless driving was the main cause of accidents along Spanish Town Road. He also confirmed the occurrence of the incidents mentioned by 'Jack', the vendor in Three Miles.

"Accidents in the area are generally as a result of speeding and carelessness by motorists," the officer explained.

The constable said that if the police station had a larger number of officers, then they would be able to maintain a greater presence along the strip. This, he said, would lessen the incidence of speeding and majority of accidents by extension. On another note, Constable Walters said that there is a need for new and more road signs and pedestrian markers in the area. He said the police have been calling for this for some time.