SPANISH TOWN, ST CATHERINE:

With 40 fewer road fatalities than the corresponding period last year, the Ministry of Transport and related road agencies are feeling a sense of hope.

The statistics were revealed by Denise White-Bryan, secretary of the road safety unit, who said the carnage on the road has been eased, in part, by the constant information on dangerous driving, which is being put out.

She was speaking at 'Taxi man Safe Travel Awareness Campaign', a roadshow, aimed at reducing fatalities and other incidents on the streets.

White-Bryan said that, of the more than 170 persons killed on the roads this year, 11 were children, compared to 17 last year.

According to White-Bryan, 49 per cent of road fatalities to date are pedestrians, with several cases stemming from drunk driving.

The function was held at the Coore Texaco Service Station in Spanish Town under the theme 'Information Through Communication, The Key To Safe Health And Travel Lifestyle'.

Several taxi associations, The Jamaica Transport Operation Management Service and other persons connected to public transportation turned out in their numbers to show their support for the event.