Drivers urged to cut speed to 30km/h today

KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — Drivers are being asked to reduce their speed on the roads to 30 kilometres per hour on Thursday and Friday, May 11 and 12.The two Slow Down Days are among the activities that have been planned to observe the United Nations (UN) Global Road Safety Week, which runs from May 8-14.

Executive Director of the National Road Safety Council, Paula Fletcher, told a JIS ‘Think Tank’ on May 9 that the Slow Down Days are intended to create awareness among drivers of their speed, and to encourage them to slow down for the sake of safety. “We are asking the nation to slow down and not go above 30 kilometres per hour, which is the speed at which persons can receive serious injury,” she said.

“Persons could also be more mindful about accommodating pedestrians. It is really driving for safety, even if the speed limit is a little higher; so, we are hoping that those two days will be a success,” Fletcher said.

She noted that stakeholders, including the Road Safety Unit of the Ministry of Transport and Mining, the Police Traffic and Highway Division, and the Island Traffic Authority, are working together and will be visible on the road to encourage motorists to be more careful. “It is deliberate, because we are trying to say to people that the faster you go, the harder you hit,” she warned.

Fletcher said the team wants to make it clear that there is a benefit in slowing down. “We are opening the minds of road users to the possibilities, to the threat that speeding causes and the fact that taking personal action could really make a difference. It’s really moral suasion for persons to try it on those two days and extend it, if possible, so that we have good results,” she said.

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