Closed-off highway fatality raises intriguing issues in the news

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Last Tuesday, the Southern Coastal Highway in the Albion region of St. Thomas was closed off due to a fatal accident.

The two-vehicle crash that occurred on Tuesday night along a closed stretch of the Southern Coastal Highway in the parish between Albion and Grants Pen is this week’s featured development as the Newsmaker of the Week that has just ended. Three people, a taxi driver, an accountant, and a security guard, died in the crash.

The Road Safety Unit (RSU) of the Ministry of Transport and Mines announced on Friday that the fatalities from the bang-up had been formally removed from its national database and fatal collision statistics. This is a fascinating and rather puzzling turn of events.

The RSU claims that it made this choice based on the information it learned from the police that the incident took place on a closed portion of the road that was being renovated.

The following are some of the criteria the unit uses to report and record fatal collisions: the crash has been reported to the police; the crash occurred on a road that is open to and being used by the public, whether the road is private or public; and the crash involved a vehicle that was in motion at the time of the crash.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness visited the section of the new highway project weeks before the incident and noted that the construction looked to be moving along in line with reports he had received.

Residents have long complained about access to their houses and the inconvenience of dust, but Holness stated on April 13 that those problems are being resolved.

Dusty roadways are presently under construction across much of St Thomas.

Even though some of the road has not yet been opened to traffic and is not entirely finished, it appears that some drivers have been abusing the thoroughfares, which led to the tragedy on Tuesday night.

Errol Taylor, an accountant, age 61, of Pembroke Hall in St. Andrew; Maurice Hinds, a cab driver, age 41; and Tamoy Delisser, a security guard, age 29, were all killed in the collision.

Delisser was from the Heartsease neighborhood of St. Thomas, whereas Hinds was from Retreat.

According to reports, on Tuesday at around 6:40 p.m., Hinds was traveling towards Yallahs in a Toyota Probox when, upon reaching a stretch of road, he made an effort to pass another vehicle.

He then struck another Toyota Probox that was on the opposite side of the street, according to the police.

When the police were called, it became clear from their investigation that both drivers had disregarded the posted road closure sign.

Two kids among the 12 injured people were taken to the hospital for treatment, where Hinds and Taylor were later declared dead.

Delisser later passed away from his wounds.

According to Marcia Bennett, Custos of St. Thomas, the authorities must carefully consider the potential effects of situations like Tuesday’s violent accident in the parish.

She described the collision as an example of the amount of irresponsibility that can be anticipated along the route when it is finished, citing reports that it happened on a part of the road that has not yet been made accessible to cars.

The customs told Loop News on Thursday that there is now far too much-driving irresponsibility across the parish and that there would certainly be a major rise with the opening of a brand-new motorway through St. Thomas.

Custos Marcia Bennett

Bennett added, “You can only imagine how it will be when the gorgeous, new highway comes into the scene. There is too much indiscipline on the roads right now.

As a result, she urged the authorities to start making plans to significantly increase policing along the finished highway.

 

“From what I understand, there is currently an insufficient number of personnel for that purpose, and the challenges will, without a doubt, significantly increase with the new roadway in place,” she continued.

A day before the tragic St. Thomas car accident, Holness said that from the year’s beginning, there has been a 14% decrease in traffic fatalities and collisions.

“Just 110 days into the year, there have been more than 120 (road) fatalities. Consequently, a sizable number of lives were lost, but undoubtedly, we also saved lives “He then said.

As of Friday, April 28, 135 people have perished in 123 deadly collisions, according to updated information from the RSU.

The agency stated that as compared to the same time in 2022, this implies an eight percent drop in deaths and a five percent drop in fatal collisions.

On Monday, Holness attributed the decline to stepped-up enforcement and harsher fines brought on by the implementation of the new Road Traffic Act in February of this year.

He asserted that “the Jamaican populace is increasingly cognizant of utilizing the street carefully.”

Even nevertheless, some on social media expressed fury over the perceived behavior of the drivers that led to the bloody collision on the blocked portion of the highway in St. Thomas, notwithstanding the prime minister’s prediction.

Beverley Evans, a Facebook user, questioned the drivers involved in the two-vehicle collision, asking, “When will they learn?”

Dead people CANNOT learn. Suh, every day? The prime minister and a lot of other people have been pleading with drivers to be cautious on the roads, but nobody has listened, so it appears that nobody has ears or is not paying attention, according to Evans.

If these two drivers were still alive, they would be in significant legal problems… Driving on a closed road is against the law, and they were both doing it. My sympathies, another user Beryl Lium said.

The taxi drivers in St. Thomas drive like idiots, and if you even ask them to slow down, they’ll order you to get out, said Simone Everbless.

“Using a cab in St. Thomas makes me nervous. I am aware that there will be fatalities on the new route, and the police must emerge “She expressed her opinion.

According to Bari Blaxx, “This will continue to happen until they outlaw these weapons of mass destruction (taxis).”

Shelian Roberts expressed regret: “You drive on a road that isn’t even legally open while killing three individuals and leaving Jamaica with one man short. Smh.”

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