Damion Mitchell, Staff Reporter
THERE ARE 31 fewer deaths from traffic accidents this year when compared to the same period last year.
However, the number of road traffic deaths for the first 12 days of October has more than doubled when compared with the corresponding period last year.
According to police statistics, up to Wednesday, there were 15 road fatalities from eight accidents compared with seven deaths from seven accidents for the similar period last year. However, the number of deaths from January 1 to October 12 this year was 232 compared with 263 last year.
Head of the Police Traffic Department Senior Superintendent, Elan Powell, said he was concerned about the number of accidents.
He said the police had an objective to achieve a 25 per cent reduction in the number of fatal accidents this year.
According to SSP Powell, the months of November and December 2004 accounted for 97 fatal accidents.
"We would want to cut that in half this year," he said.
Police statistics also indicate that of the 232 road fatalities since the start of the year, 181 are males and 51 females.
SSP Powell said the police would be unveiling new strategies to target drivers especially those in the age group 18 to 30.
Police statistics show that St. Catherine has accounted for the highest number of road fatalities since January followed by St. Andrew and Westmoreland.
In the most recent fatal accident, two security guards Andrew Robinson and Christopher Neil, were killed along the Old Harbour main road on Wednesday night.
Five of their colleagues who were injured in the accident have been admitted to the Kingston Public Hospital.
The police said the accident occurred about 9:15 p.m. when the driver lost control of the minibus, which crashed into a utility pole and then into a parked Renault truck.
