Sign of the times

Rosina Christina Moder has lived on Devon Close in St Andrew for 38 years, but her days are often disrupted by the sounds of car accidents at the four-way intersection along Kingsway and Devon Road, caused by motorists disobeying the stop signs.

Concerned and frustrated, the executive director of Music Unites Jamaica Foundation decided to do something about it.

“I said, what can I do? I will try to remind them of stop signs. Stop means stop,” the Austrian native told The Gleaner.

Yesterday, in the late morning, she was busy affixing markers to the stop signs in the vicinity, which she hoped would be a further indication to motorists that they should stop.

But, even while she and contractor Carson Beckford were busy at work, some motorists were observed driving by without adhering to the road sign.

“I am hoping for the best,” Moder said. “It was just a little project of myself because I got tired; morning day, midnight whatever, 'bam, bam!'... Sometimes little children on their way to school in route taxis, the mommy crying, mommy taken to hospital and the children don't know what to do. It's just too depressing to see, all this time, those accidents.”

Jamaica has recorded 369 fatal road crashes since this year, a 14 per cent decline when compared to the recorded figure for this same period last year.

Eleven fatal crashes have been recorded in Kingston since this year.

In 2023, the country saw 487 fatal crashes.

According to Moder, there are at least two car accidents at the four-way intersection each month, but, thankfully, she said she has yet to witness a fatal one.

“We ask the authority to put, maybe, a traffic light, then maybe the accidents will stop. About seven out of 10 slow down maybe, but don't stop,” she said. “The way people drive at the moment, we are lucky that nothing more is happening. We are blessed to be honest.”

Meanwhile, chair of the National Road Safety Council Dr Lucien Jones told The Gleaner the council is currently trying to obtain funds through the National Works Agency to increase the number of signs on the nation's roads.

According to Jones, 142 roads across the island are in need of proper and additional signs. In Kingston, 24 roads are in need of signs and additional work. He noted that signs are an important part of making the roads safe, and are embedded in the agency's safe systems approach.

“You need to have cat's eyes which guide you at night. The police have been talking about this for a long time. You need to have warning signs that there's a corner coming up, that the road is slippery when wet, speed sites … all the markings and the signs are very important to have safe roads,” he said.

Equally significant, he contends, is the need for motorists to obey the road signs. This, he said, is done through enforcement and public education campaigns.

He also noted that the recently implemented Road Traffic Act, which has increased fines for breaches, has aided in reducing the number of fatal crashes.

“We believe that part of it has to do with the new Road Traffic Act and the enforcement that's been done by the police, and the campaign that we have waged over the years advising the public to slow down,” he said.

As the Yuletide season approaches, Jones is urging motorists to be cautious on the roads.

“Traditionally, two things happen when you're approaching the Christmas season. There are a lot more people on the road moving around, a lot more people tend to drink and drive, so the numbers tend to go up in late November, early December period, and not only in terms of single fatality crashes, multiple fatality crashes,” he said.

Moder shared similar sentiments.

“Let us just be a little more careful on the road, let us be a little more courteous on the road. One has to give thanks anytime somebody is courteous and, when I came here 30 years ago, it wasn't like this. The drivers were much more gentle, much more courteous,” she said.

sashana.small@gleanerjm.com