PM LAUNCHES UN GLOBAL ROAD SAFETY WEEK

Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller signs the road safety petition while Minister Robert Pickersgill (left) and Mrs. Paula Fletcher look on

Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller on Wednesday, April 18, 2007, launched the inaugural United Nations Road Safety Week which will be observed between April 23 and 29.

In a lively and engaging two hour ceremony at the Kingston Hilton Hotel, various stakeholders turned up to support the initiative. The week which will be dedicated to 'Young Road Users' will have a number of activities to mark the occasion. Among these will be a global road safety expo at Emancipation Park on May 3 as well as a series of public education meetings. The objectives of the observance of the week are:

• To increase awareness about the impact of road injuries, particularly among young road users
• To promote greater use of helmets and seatbelts; reduce drunk driving; and encourage compliance in the construction of safe roads

In keeping with the theme of the observance, "Road Safety Is No Accident", speaker after speaker highlighted through various presentations, the need for more care on our roads, particularly for the young. One such was the presentation by Dr. Dayanand Sawh, whose powerpoint presentation was as graphic as it was informative. He drew on his experience as an Orthopaedic Surgeon in describing some of the many extensive injuries he has witnessed.

Also speaking at the ceremony, was Dr. Eugenia Maria Silveira Rodriqes, the Regional Advisor, Road Safety - PAHO/WHO. She too made a power point presentation in which she gave a worldwide/regional view of the road safety problem. She focused on some of the factors which contributed to accidents such as speed and careless driving. She suggested that one of the things that the powers that be in Jamaica could consider adopting is a 'graduated driver's license'. The idea here is that a driver would spend more time on the road driving according to the exposure he/she has received.

For her part, Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller lauded all the persons concerned with tackling the road safety problem. "I welcome the efforts of the United Nations in focusing global attention on Road Safety and it is my distinct pleasure to officially launch the observance of this first global road safety week", she said.

She noted that road traffic accidents are the second leading cause of premature death and ill-health worldwide, next to HIV/AIDS. She also highlighted the fact that the projections show that road fatalities will increase by more than 65% between the years 2000 and 2020.

Notwithstanding the problems however, she asserted that, " Although we face challenges, we have resolved as a country to put the necessary initiatives in place to reduce road crashes. This is the reason why we have a national Road Safety policy which is our 'roadmap'".

Other persons who appeared on the programme were: Mr. Stephen Morrison and Mrs. Estella Campbell both surviving accident victims who gave their experiences of recovering from traffic accidents; Mr. Alan Beckford from the Jamaica Automobile Association; Minister Robert Pickersgill who as Minister with portfolio responsibility endorsed the Road Safety activities to mark the week; Mr. Devon Sparkes and the Ardenne High School who did the first performance of a road safety jingle. Giving very riveting performances surrounding road safety issues were Cynara Reece from Sts. Peter Claver Primary School and Kemar Garrison from Calabar Primary and Junior High. Chairperson for the function was Mrs. Paula Fletcher, Executive Director of the National Road Safety Council.