IDB report cites Cemex road-safety programme as regional model
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The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has highlighted road-safety measures implemented by Cemex, the parent company of Caribbean Cement, as an example of private-sector practices that could help reduce road accidents across Latin America and the Caribbean.
In a regional study titled ‘Motorcyclists in Latin America: Current Situation, Lessons Learned, and Recommended Best Practices for the Protection of Users’, the IDB pointed to Cemex’s initiatives as a model for improving safety among road users, particularly motorcyclists. The report said the company’s measures helped to reduce traffic accidents involving Cemex operations by 54 per cent over six years.
“Health and safety are our highest priority, and road safety is an essential part of how we operate across the region,” said Alejandro Ramírez, President of Cemex South, Central America, and the Caribbean. “By combining technology, training, and operational discipline, we continue working to prevent incidents and protect drivers, motorcyclists, and other road users.”
The road-safety programme has been rolled out in Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago Peru, Colombia, Nicaragua and Puerto Rico. Measures include vehicle inspections, route and schedule planning, monitoring driver behaviour, and deploying technologies designed to reduce vehicle blind spots.
In Jamaica, Caribbean Cement’s Vulnerable Road Users initiative has focused on public awareness and sensitisation programmes targeting students and people living with disabilities. The initiative seeks to encourage safer interaction with heavy vehicles and, according to the company, has reached thousands of children and other vulnerable road users across the island during the past five years.
The company has also partnered with the Road Safety Unit in the Ministry of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport to promote road-safety awareness.
The IDB said the recognition highlighted the value of sharing practices that could be adopted more widely to improve road safety and support safer mobility throughout the region.