The Pan American Health Organization [PAHO] has highlighted Jamaica's road fatality rate being higher than the average for the region of the Americas as concerns continue about the country's persistently high rates of road traffic deaths.
PAHO representatives participated in a National Road Safety Council review meeting on Thursday.
In a subsequent statement, the organization noted that indiscipline and social determinants such as excessive speeding and disregard for road rules were blamed for many of the 425 road fatalities last year.
PAHO said comparative data collected by the World Health Organization revealed that Jamaica's road fatality rate of 18 per 100,000 persons per year is higher than the average for the region of the Americas, which is 14.1.
It said this places Jamaica in a tie for 13 out of 19 positions regarding the lowest rates of road fatalities among countries in the Americas.
During the meeting, PAHO/WHO Representative for Jamaica, Bermuda, and the Cayman Islands, Ian Stein, is said to have emphasised the immediate need for an intersectoral and all-of-government approach to formulate and enforce effective policies and interventions.
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