The National Road Safety Council (NRSC) has established a new road safety target for 2013- 2016, in light of the significant reduction in road fata-lities which the island experienced last year.

The new objective is to encourage the reduction in road deaths to fewer than 240, and the new slogan indicative of that goal is: 'BELOW 240, Jamaica can do it!'

The new goal resulted from recent consultations between the NRSC, its member organisations and other partners.

improve road user practices

In 2008, the NRSC launched the SAVE 300LIVES Programme, encouraging the public through increased road-safety public education, to improve road-user practices, and consequently minimise road deaths, to below 300.

During 2012 Jamaica recorded 260 road fatalities. This was the first time in 13 years, and the first time since the launch of the four-year campaign, that fewer than 300 persons died on the roads. It was a 16 per cent decline over 2011 and a 25 per cent decrease during the four years of the SAVE 300LIVES Programme.

Dr Lucien Jones, vice-chairman/convenor, NRSC, credits the impact of the public- education campaign and the diligence of the police in enforcement of traffic regulations, as playing a key role in the success of the programme.

Dr Jones pledged that the NRSC will intensify its public-education campaign, and again underscored the need for the establishment of an electronic-surveillance system to support the enforcement of the Road Traffic Act.

Paula Fletcher, executive director, NRSC, says there is a need for the police to be adequately equipped with handheld devices with links to the Traffic Ticketing Data Base.

Since January, 26 persons have died on the nation's roads.