Aimed at protecting the lives of some of the nation's most vulnerable, a new road safety in schools campaign has been launched.

The campaign, sponsored by the Bank of Nova Scotia Jamaica, in collaboration with the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and the Bustamante Hospital for Children, aims to educate children on how to use the road.

Speaking at the launch at the Jessie Ripoll Primary School in Kingston yesterday, consultant orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Dayanand Sawh told the students that they could end up as statistics if they failed to use the roads properly.

Already, 29 children have been killed in road accidents since the start of the year, one fewer than the same period last year. Twenty-six of the number recorded are under the age of 14.

World Bank report

Last month, Dr. Lucien Jones, vice-chairman and convenor of the National Road Safety Council, presented a joint World Health Organisation (WHO)/World Bank report at a Gleaner Editors' Forum which suggests that road deaths could eclipse HIV/AIDS as the world's leading traumatic killer by 2020.

The report noted road traffic injuries to be the second leading cause of death in the five-14 age group behind childhood cluster diseases.

Fatality facts

2006
Fatal accidents	229
Deaths	264
2005 Fatal accidents	210
Deaths	238
Number of children
killed in road accidents
2006	29
2005	28