A Jamaica Observer file photo of an accident on the Dyke Road in Portmore, St Catherine. Several accidents on Jamaica’s roads have been blamed on speeding. The Pan American Health Organization has called speed limits in the region to be accompanied by strict enforcement.
WASHINGTON, DC, USA (CMC) — The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) says more needs to be done in the Americas, including the Caribbean, to address traffic management as this is the key to saving lives and making cities more livable.PAHO noted that 17 countries in the Americas have already set maximum speed limits of less than 50 km/h in urban areas, “which conform to best practices”, adding that three countries have given local authorities leeway to reduce the limits further.
“Control at the local level is important, so lower speed limits can be set in populated or vulnerable areas such as those near schools or health facilities,” PAHO said. “However, laws on speed limits must be accompanied by strict compliance, so that they are effective and thus save lives.”
Only one country in the Americas describes its compliance with these laws as “good”, according to a PAHO report on Road Safety in the Region of the Americas.
“The region of the Americas has made progress in adopting standards that limit speed in urban areas, but it needs to further strengthen the application of these standards to reduce deaths and injuries due to traffic,” said Eugenia Rodriguez, PAHO’s regional advisor on road safety.
He said speed management measures include building or modifying roads to include features that slow traffic, such as roundabouts and speed bumps; establishing speed limits appropriate to the function of each road; and enforcing speed limits through the use of manual and automated controls.
Additionally, Rodriquez said speed management measures comprise installing in-vehicle technologies in new cars, such as intelligent speed assistance and autonomous emergency braking; and raising awareness about the dangers of speed.
Leave A Comment