Road safety officials say Friday night's road tragedy in the Rio Grande Valley in Portland is the country's worst traffic crash in 30 years.

The road safety unit in the Ministry of Transport and Works has pointed to 23 deaths as being the highest recorded number of fatalities from a single road tragedy, which occurred back in the 1970s.

Transport and Works Minister Mike Henry who, only two days before, recorded his road safety Christmas message, yesterday expressed regret at the huge tragedy. He indicated that he was already assessing a request from parish representatives for remedial work to be done in the area where the truck ran over into a precipice.

Friday's deadly accident capped what has been a bloody year on the nation's streets.

Despite efforts by the National Road Safety Council and the police, 310 persons lost their lives in 279 fatal collisions on the roads since the start of this year.

Last year, the police reported that the death toll on the roads was 333 from 285 major collisions, while the National Road Safety Council reported 350 deaths.

Reduce speed

Yesterday, Dr Lucien Jones, vice-chairman of the National Road Safety Council, expressed regret at the accident in the Rio Grande Valley and other road fatalities across the island.

"At this time of the year, there are many more persons travelling on the road, and for this reason, there is a tendency for multiple-fatality crashes to occur," advised Dr Jones. "I am especially appealing to those persons transporting large numbers of passengers and goods to take extra care on the roads," he added.

Multiple deaths

This year, the traffic accidents have included many which resulted in multiple deaths and left entire communities numb.

Among the most notable was a collision on the Dawkins Pen main road in Clarendon on July 6, which left five persons dead.

At that time, investigators pointed to the driver of a taxi who they claimed was guilty of speeding and improper overtaking.

The driver and four passengers in the taxi all lost their lives after the vehicle slammed into a Volvo motor truck.

Less than 24 hours later, three persons lost their lives on the Bustamante Highway, also in Clarendon. An eight-month-old baby was also injured in that accident.

Those came months after 19-year-old Jodi-Gaye Wellington and three others lost their lives on the Green Island main road in Hanover.

The Gleaner headline, 'Crash calamity', on February 4, screamed the news of the first major road accident at the start of the year after a Toyota Corolla motor car, being driven by 26-year-old Navada Grant, careened off the main road and slammed into a kerb wall before landing in a ditch.

Four dead

Grant, Wellington, Stari Leslie, 24, and 35-year-old Donna Swearing all died in that accident.

Hanover was also the scene of another deadly accident in May when two entertainment coordinators employed to Sandals Royal Caribbean died after the car they were travelling in slammed into a Hino bus on the Orange Bay main road.

In October the University of the West Indies, Mona campus, was plunged into mourning after three students, including an executive member of the Guild of Students, died in a motor-vehicle accident in Oracabessa, St Mary.

Driver lost control

They were reportedly in a Mitsubishi motor car returning from a party when the driver lost control of the vehicle, which collided with a Toyota Corolla before smashing into the guard rails and bursting into flames.

That shocker came days after the National Road Safety Council launched its 'Save 300 Lives' campaign.

The campaign, which is a collaborative effort between the council and the Cabinet office, is aimed at reducing road-traffic fatalities to under 300 each year.