Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer

In their drive to reduce motor accidents and deaths on Jamaican roads, the National Road Safety Council (NRSC) and the Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS) launched the Inter-Parish Road Safety Contest three weeks ago.

Dr Lucien Jones, vice-chairman of the NRSC, told Automotives that an increase in accidents, and fatalities, in the first eight months of 2009 prompted the islandwide campaign.

"This season's data has not been encouraging, we are in danger of surpassing last year's figure," Jones said.

He added that a prize will be awarded at yearend to the parish with the biggest drop in road fatalities.

According to NRSC statistics, 343 persons were killed in motor accidents in 2008. At the end of September, there were 251 deaths.

There is no great disparity in the quarterly figures. Last year, there were 98 deaths between January and March; 82 from April to June; 75 for July-September and 88 in October-December.

Media campaign

This year's numbers for the first three quarters are 97, 91 and 63. Like last year, the most accidents/fatalities have been recorded in St Catherine (41), St James (27) and Clarendon (21).

Jones says the NRSC and JNBS branch managers in each parish will participate in the process which is divided into a media campaign, parish activities and good driver advice.

The police, teachers and church leaders will also be involved.

Jones said the NRSC first launched an aggressive campaign to reduce road deaths in 1993, because there was an average of 400 fatalities a year in Jamaica up till then. New safety measures seemed to work as, by 1999, the figure had dropped considerably to 295.

But since 2001, over 300 auto deaths have been registered annually by the NRSC.

Last October, the organisation launched its 'Below 300' campaign which was endorsed by local celebrities such as triple Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt.