La#n America and Caribbean Road Danger Reduc#on Forum
IMPROVING CARIBBEAN ROAD SAFETY Towards a Framework for the Caribbean
Improving Caribbean Road Safety Towards a Framework for the Caribbean Mark R. Corbin
July 2013
La>n America and Caribbean Road Danger Reduc>on Forum 37 Greig Street Campbellville Georgetown Guyana © Copyright 2013 Wisemore Limited All rights reserved. Researched, wriMen and designed by Mark R. Corbin The vision for a report examining road safety in the Caribbean originated with Dr. Samuel Joseph of La>n America and Caribbean Road Danger Reduc>on Forum (LACRDRF). The research, findings and recommenda>ons are those of the author and are not intended to represent LACRDRF. The informa>on contained in this document has been provided by various stakeholders from across the Caribbean. This however does not represent their endorsement of the document. You may reuse the informa>on in the document free of charge. Should you wish to make to make further enquiries about any aspect of the document please email info@caribbeanroadsafety.org
CONTENTS PREFACE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS SETTING THE SCENE THE ROAD SAFETY PROBLEM CURRENT APPROACH TO ROAD SAFETY IN THE CARIBBEAN THE CURRENT SITUATION DATA ANALYSIS ROAD SAFETY STAKEHOLDERS THE WAY FORWARD
Preface When I was approached by Dr. Samuel Joseph of the La>n America and Caribbean Road Danger Reduc>on Forum about undertaking this piece of work I felt it was important that I gave some of my >me back to the Caribbean and in par>cular to this important issue of road safety. Whilst I have lived and worked in the United Kingdom for over a decade, the Caribbean is never far away from my mind. Even closer is the subject of road safety, as I understand first hand the devasta>on that can be caused by road traffic injuries and deaths in one’s family. Being safe on the roads as we undertake our everyday du>es and ac>vi>es is the responsibility of all of us. The small economies of the Caribbean are not able to invest high levels of capital into resolving many of the problems that exist. There are compe>ng demands from all sec>ons of society and in many cases road safety can some>mes be seen as a low level priority. With the United Na>ons declaring the period 2011 – 2020 as the Decade of Ac>on for Road Safety, this is an enormous opportunity for the Caribbean. We must ensure that we clearly ar>culate the problems we are experiencing in road safety, we must be united as a block of na>ons and we must do beMer at securing investment to address our problems. The challenge that we face is huge especially given the current global economic and financial challenges. We however cannot allow this to stand in the way of seeking to achieve long term sustainable improvements to road safety, in order to ensure a safer society across the Caribbean. It is my hope that the recommenda>ons that I have included in this report will allow the La>n America and Caribbean Road Danger Reduc>on Forum to have renewed op>mism in making the case for improving road safety across the region.
Mark R. Corbin
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Acknowledgements To write a document of this nature requires significant assistance from many people. I was assisted by a number of people both in the United Kingdom and across the Caribbean. These people offered sugges>ons when I shared my thoughts, supported my request for informa>on, answered my phone calls, responded to emails and reviewed various dra`s of this document. I am very grateful for their contribu>on and these word cannot do jus>ce for how much that meant to me. It is very evident to me that within the Caribbean there is a group of very professional people who work >relessly with limited resources, their commitment encouraged me as I did this work. To all who offered free advice and support thank you very much. To those who offered to tell their story, I say a special thank you. It is my sincere hope that our collec>ve efforts will save lives and reduce the pain and suffering on Caribbean roads across the region. I thank the following contributors whose exper>se and knowledge made this document possible. Dr. Samuel Joseph – La2n America and Caribbean Road Danger Reduc2on Forum, Guyana Gerad Payne, Senior Engineer, Ministry of Works, An2gua Alice Ho-‐Tack, Director, Signcom/High Security New Plate Ltd., An2gua Leon Blades, Asst. Supt. Royal Barbados Police Force, Barbados Cheryl BenneN-‐Inniss, Chief Technical Officer, Ministry of Transport & Works, Barbados Sargeant Garlon Rolle, Royal Bahamas Police Force, Bahamas Karen Mor2mer, Road Traffic Department, Bahamas Angelique Howell, Chief Inspector, RCIPS, Cayman Islands Ramona Doorgen, Na2onal Road Safety Council, Guyana Terrence Fletcher, Director, Caribbean Associa2on of Roads, Guyana Kenute Hare, Director, Road Safety Unit, Jamaica Lenita Joseph, Chief Transport Officer, Saint Lucia Celvin Walwyn, Commissioner of Police, Royal St. KiNs & Nevis Police Force -‐ St. KiNs & Nevis Sgt. Caines, Royal St. KiNs & Nevis Police Force -‐ St. KiNs & Nevis Radjoe Ramkalup, Director, Suriname Road Authority, Suriname Shakita Sadhoe-‐Gauri, Assistant Engineer, Suriname Road Authority, Suriname Brent Batson, Arrive Alive, Trinidad & Tobago
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Dedicated to Gregory Corbin and Sonia Corbin Whose lives were cut short by road traffic collisions
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Development of this report In developing this report the role of the key road safety professionals, stakeholders and representa>ves within the Caribbean were cri>cal. As part of this, the views of government departments, police traffic divisions, key hospital personnel and other healthcare professionals, and road safety Councils were sought. Direct consulta>on with these various bodies provided the basis for establishing the baseline data and the recommenda>ons. The star>ng point was to establish a methodology for engaging more islands of the Caribbean; with the inten>on of gathering more data to beMer understand the regional road safety problem. The principle behind this approach was, any future framework for the Caribbean must include, or at least at the outset, give as many na>ons as possible the opportunity to be on board. Whilst it has not been possible to include all the na>ons of the Caribbean, the Caricom Community provides the best star>ng point on which to build and take the road safety sector in the Caribbean forward. The La>n America and Caribbean Road Danger Reduc>on Forum has provided the catalyst for this work along with collabora>on from the Caribbean Associa>on of Roads and its members.
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1 SETTING THE SCENE
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SETTING THE SCENE This report seeks to review road safety in the Caribbean and provide direc>on for the La>n America and Caribbean Road Danger Reduc>on Forum (LACRDRF) as part of the United Na>on’s Decade of Ac>on for Road Safety 2011 – 2020. It aims to highlight the exis>ng problems and provide the approach to introduce change and implement road safety ini>a>ves to reduce road fatali>es and injuries on Caribbean roads. The ul>mate vision of the roads sector in the Caribbean is for a region where people are safer as par>cipants in a mobile society with reduced risk of death and injuries from motor vehicle collisions.
At present road safety in the region is largely considered under the La>n America and Caribbean block of na>ons. This report focuses on the Caribbean and specifically 15 Caricom member states and 1 associate na>on. These islands have a combined popula>on of just over 17 million people. It is important that the islands of the Caribbean learn from the experience of La>n America par>cularly in understanding and ar>cula>ng the road safety problems1, thereby encouraging inward investment to address the problems being experienced on roads in the region.
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Through collabora>on with various Caribbean partners the vision below has been devised. It could be achieved by adop>ng exemplar and best prac>ce road safety methods used successfully across the world.
Within the Caribbean context, ini>a>ves at the community level allowing ci>zens to take ownership will also be crucial for educa>ng and growing a safer people with a safer future. The delivery of the vision must be monitored through improvements to baseline data and qualita>ve measures, such as fewer impacts from road deaths and injuries; improved road infrastructure; and improved vehicle safety features.
The Vision For long-‐term sustainable improvements to road safety to ensure a safer society across the Caribbean THE ROAD SAFETY PROBLEM Global Problem Road traffic crashes kill approximately 1.24 million2 people on the world’s roads every year. This is the equivalent of over 3,500 deaths per day and for every death there are es>mated to be between 20-‐50 serious road traffic injuries. The World Health Organisa>on (WHO) es>mates that by 2015 road traffic collisions will have become the principal cause of premature death and physical disability among people aged 5 years and above.
Caribbean Problem The es>ma>ons for 2020 are even bleaker, with the number of fatali>es projected close to 1.9 million – surpassing the number of fatali>es caused by malaria and tuberculosis combined.3 Despite the scale of this worsening global problem, many people remain unaware of the threat and devasta>ng impacts that road traffic collisions pose to popula>ons, and what is more important, the vital measures required in reducing the problem.
The World Bank sta>s>cs show that the La>n America and the Caribbean (LAC) region have the highest road traffic fatality rates per capita of any region in the world. Each year 122,000 people are killed on roads across La>n America and the Caribbean, with road traffic collisions cos>ng an es>mated $18.9billion USD annually or typically equa>ng to 1.5% of Gross Na>onal Product4.
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As a result, these injuries impose substan>al economic costs on developing na>ons in this region; o`en exceeding the total development assistance they receive each year. Road traffic fatali>es and injuries also bear unacceptable high social, economic and human costs to socie>es as they translate into pain and suffering, financial pressure on limited resources and lost produc>vity. Comparing the performance of La>n American and the Caribbean na>ons during the Decade of Ac>on will however show a picture of inconclusive results. A recent study by the Inter American Development Bank illustrated an average road fatality rate of 17 deaths per 100,000 in La>n America and the Caribbean5. This average road fatality rate is composed of data that is currently readily available from 18 La>n American countries and only 7 Caribbean na>ons (Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Jamaica, Bahamas and Dominican Republic).
In isola>on the average fatality rate for La>n American countries is recorded at 16.8 per 100,000 compared to 20.7 per 100,000 for the Caribbean. This means that not only is the true Caribbean road safety problem par>ally hidden, but also is poten>ally worse than current available figures suggest. The data from the 7 Caribbean na>ons also raises another very real problem. There are significant gaps rela>ng to data from many other islands, which inevitably lead to further inaccurate repor>ng of the Caribbean posi>on. The lack of available quality data across the Caribbean hinders region-‐wide understanding of the real impact that road traffic deaths and injuries are having on the Caribbean as a whole. The lack of empirical data also represents a significant factor in the Caribbean’s ability to formulate suitable road safety policies which sufficiently address the economic, social and poli>cal problems and impacts of road safety.
Each year 122,000 people are killed on roads across La#n America and the Caribbean.
CURRENT APPROACH TO ROAD SAFETY IN THE CARIBBEAN Governance Across the Caribbean there is currently no single agency that directly co-‐ordinates and drives the strategic overview and guidance on road safety for the Caribbean Islands; instead each Caribbean Island has its own internal structures in place to address issues of road safety. As a result, there is an absence of consistent methods for road safety data collec>on and coopera>on towards an overarching strategy, targets and implementa>on across the Caribbean. Opportuni>es to fund and improve road safety remain limited in most islands due in part to the lack of a consistent and coopera>ve approach. The Caribbean Islands have varying poli>cal powers and structures, with a mixture of sovereign independent states and overseas territories of the United States, Great Britain, France and The Netherlands. Despite this, within most Caribbean islands responsibility for road safety is centred within exis>ng government arrangements, which in the majority of cases forms part of the transport pornolio under the Minister of Transport. Across the transport pornolio few Caribbean na>ons have in place an over-‐arching Transport Strategy where road safety could be a key component.
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In some islands road safety is being addressed in a high profile way through the introduc>on of Na>onal Road Safety Councils (NRSC) as part of the WHO recommenda>ons6. NRSCs have been established in islands including Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Cayman Islands and are formed of public and private sector representa>ves. Work is ongoing to establish a NRSC in Saint Lucia and Belize is seeking to establish its NRSC before December 2013.7 In other areas the private sector, including motoring organisa>ons, provides funding for campaigns that are largely promoted by NGOs, which has proven to be effec>ve in some islands like Barbados. Within many Caribbean islands, technical specialists also exist who possess a good understanding of the na>onal road safety problems, as well as voluntary organisa>ons that operate peripherally.
Despite the crea>on of NRSCs, private sector assistance and presence of specialists and voluntary organisa>ons, arrangements and coopera>on across these various groups involved in road safety needs strengthening in order to provide improved benefits and reduc>ons in road traffic collisions on Caribbean roads.
Funding Resources
Whilst there is currently no single road safety agency ac>ng across the Caribbean, there is no shortage of organisa>ons which cooperate at different levels where road safety is peripheral to their remit and demonstrate that such coopera>on can be achieved despite varying poli>cal structures. These include:
Whilst the majority of partner territories have road safety objec>ves focused on engineering, enforcement and educa>on, it has been difficult to deliver consistent results par>cularly in engineering and enforcement which are expensive to resolve through Government ac>on alone.
Caribbean Community (Caricom) -‐ an organisa>on of 15 Caribbean na>ons whose main purpose is to promote economic integra>on and coopera>on amongst its members.
Like many small developing states around the world, Caribbean governments have to balance priori>es for its ci>zens and choose where scarce resources are spent. The transport sector, as with other Government departments in such areas, face pressures on small budgets needed to address ever-‐increasing problems.
This means that issues such as road safety are not always receiving the level of resources or a sustained investment programme that is required to effec>vely address the problems that exist. This in many cases is leading to worsening situa>ons on the ground and inconsistent trends.
Organisa>on of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) -‐ 9 member na>ons that are mostly located in the eastern Caribbean, who work closely on economic harmonisa>on, integra>on, protec>on and human and legal rights. Associa>on of Caribbean States (ACS) -‐ a 25 member state organisa>on formed to promote greater trade between the na>ons enhance transport, develop sustainable tourism and promote and facilitate greater and more effec>ve responses to local natural disasters.
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“Daddy we made it and you would be so proud”
AntoineGe Chase
FACES BEHIND THE NUMBERS
AntoineGe’s Real Life Story
Nov 19th 1990 is a day that will forever be etched in my mind. It was the day my step-‐dad was killed in a horrible vehicular collision whilst working. He was 40 years old. Daddy was making a delivery in the north when the truck he was driving collided with a bus. We (my family) were told that daddy exited from a ‘blind corner’ and the bus came around that corner at such a speed that it crashed into the van causing it to flip onto its side. Eye-‐witnesses reported that the bus didn’t stop for quite some distance (150 yards) from the collision. Daddy and two other passengers were thrown in different direc>ons onto the street. According to a shopkeeper, he was dispatching some customers when he heard a loud crash. He ran outside to see a man ska>ng down the road and added “I knew he wasn’t going to live.” That evening I went to the library a`er school. Someone came to me and asked “Girl, what are you doing here? Your father was killed in an accident earlier today!” I was flabbergasted! I remember asking the librarian to use the phone. I called my mother at work to confirm the news I had just heard but she wasn’t there and her workmate said to me “whatever you heard is true.” I went numb; I was despaired; I was afraid and at the same #me angry. This was not the first >me someone in the family died but that was the way it felt. I became withdrawn for a long >me. I tried to cope with losing a man I saw and interacted with all my life. Just like that he was gone! My mother was devastated as well as my three younger brothers. At that >me we were ages 16, 15, 12 and 10. Everything was different – my mother was now both mummy and daddy -‐ having to raise four children on her own. In addi>on, it really crippled her she had to be as strong as she could be for her children. It was hard for all of us to adjust. He and my mother loved to listen to oldies music and most Sundays he would take us on a picnic. Driving to and from those picnics my brothers and I had to listen to those oldies. To this day we happily recall those Sunday drives. We used to look forward to those picnics because they were fun, they were our family >me. My life was never the same again a`er we lost Daddy!
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2 THE CURRENT SITUATION
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THE CURRENT SITUATION The safety of road users and the reduc>on of casual>es from road collisions remains an important goal for all partners. However, the most significant challenge in the Caribbean region towards understanding and addressing this problem surrounds the area of data collec>on; par>cularly the methods to obtain, capture and retain data and the consistency of these methods across all islands to ensure data is accurate and reliable for the region.
A comparison of data over an extended period to determine deaths, seriously injured casual>es and informa>on rela>ng to high risk groups is not always readily available or in a compa>ble format. This current challenge makes it extremely difficult to assess in depth or provide an accurate representa>on of regional trends.
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Whilst work is ongoing to ensure all Caribbean Islands par>cipate and become ac>ve partners in delivering the vision, a number of Caribbean partners have been able to par>cipate in informing the development of this report through their exis>ng data provision. These partners are defined into two data groups who have informed the data analysis as set out in Tables 1 and 2 below.
Data Partners Defini#on
Caribbean partners who have readily available data for the number of road fatali>es covering the 10 year period of 2001 to 2011
Data Analysis
This data allows for analysis of the general over-‐arching road fatality trend for the Caribbean region.
Includes
An>gua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Cayman Islands Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. KiMs and Nevis, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago.
Table 1 -‐ Data Partners
Core Data Group Defini#on
Caribbean partners who have readily available data for the number of road fatali>es which is segregated into road users and age groups covering the 5 year period of 2007 to 2011
Data Analysis
This data allows for detailed analysis of the types of users worst affected by road deaths for the Caribbean region
Includes
Barbados, Cayman Islands, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, Trinidad.
Table 2 -‐ Core Data Group
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DATA ANALYSIS Historic deaths For the 10-‐year period 2001 – 2011 the Data Partners recorded a total of 9,651 deaths afributable to motor vehicle collisions across the eleven na>ons. The recorded number of deaths on roads increased year on year from 2001 up to and including 2004.
There was a decrease in the number of deaths in 2005, but this was followed by the highest number of deaths for the decade in 2006, when 970 people were killed. Since this peak in 2006, the number of deaths has fallen steadily up to 2011.
The 720 deaths recorded in 2011 represented a fall in fatali>es by 13% when compared to the previous year (2010). Overall there was a 6% reduc>on in the number of people killed from 2001 to 2011.8
Road Deaths 2001 -‐ 2011 2001
766
2002
857
2003
921
2004
934
Years
2005
872
2006
No. of deaths
970
2007
897 924
2008
916
2009 828
2010 720
2011 0
250
500
750
1000
Figure 1 -‐ Reported road fatali#es across partners na#ons
A number of islands across the Caribbean are excluded from these figures, as they simply do not have the historic data collec>on recorded or readily available. Had these islands been included it is possible that a completely different trend could have emerged, which is likely to be worse in terms of the level of fatali>es and the cumula>ve reduc>on.
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Affected Road Users The Core Data Group partners recorded a total of 3,861 deaths during the period 2007 – 2011. Where the data is available, vulnerable road user groups such as pedestrians, pedal-‐cyclists, motor-‐cyclists and pillion-‐riders accounted for almost half -‐ 1,885 (49%) of these road deaths.
The impact on vulnerable road user groups is significant across these partner na>ons with pedestrian deaths reaching a high of 260 in 2007. Death amongst pedestrians was twice as high as that of motor-‐cyclists and three >mes more than pedal-‐cyclist.
Road deaths by road user type 2007 - 2011 (selected islands only) 800
600
400
200
0 2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Years Pillion Riders
Cyclists
Motorcyclists
Pedestrians
Car Occupant
Figure 2 -‐ Road deaths by user type
In analysing island specific data, the impacts on vulnerable road user groups does vary, being more prominent in some more than others. For example, for the period of 2007 to 2011 vulnerable road users represented:
• • • •
66% of road fatali>es (576) in Guyana9 60% of road fatali>es (218) in Suriname10 moped drivers comprising 35% of these 54% of road fatali>es (892) in Jamaica11 31% of road fatali>es (341) in Trinidad12
Vehicle occupants such as drivers and passengers were the second largest affected group accoun>ng for 1,609 (42%) of those killed during the five-‐year period. Other deaths, which weren’t categorised, accounted for a further 367 (9%) of all road deaths.
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Affected Age Groups
Annual Fatality Rates
The analysis of fatal collisions involving different categories of age groups and in par>cular young drivers age less than 17, was not possible. Whilst there is a small sample of evidence available from a few islands, analysis of this would not allow for any meaningful conclusions to be drawn. Anecdotally it is thought that the number of adult male drivers represent a large propor>on of those killed during the period 2001 – 2011.
In 2011 the annual fatality rate resul>ng from road collisions across the large (those with popula>ons greater than 100,000) partner na>ons was 12.0 deaths per 100,000 individuals. For the smaller na>ons (with less than 100,000 popula>on) such as the Cayman Islands and St. KiMs and Nevis the fatality rate was 1.2 per 10,000 individuals.
Across those na>ons with popula>ons greater than 100,000 there has been a steady decline in this fatality rate figure since 2007. The most consistent decline is in Jamaica where deaths per 100,000 have fallen from 13.5 to 10.7 during the five-‐year period 2007 to 2011.13
Deaths per 100,000 popula#on 2007 -‐ 2011 18.0 18
16.3 15.0 13.0
Annual fatality rate
12.0 12
6
0 2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Years Figure 3 -‐ Deaths per 100,000 across larger partner na#ons
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Caribbean Best Prac>ce Jamaica has led the way in best prac>ce across the Caribbean region in the area of data management, and the system in place allows for full analysis of those user groups being directly affected by road collisions. Some data is also available from Trinidad, Guyana, Suriname and Barbados. The Jamaican model though stands out as the best in the region and is well placed to support other partner territories in building their data management systems.
Across the Caribbean Islands there are many factors which contribute to deaths on roads. There is however further work required to ensure that these factors are being accurately recorded. There is a similar issue rela>ng to how the data regarding affected user groups is captured. This issue impacts on the way policy is subsequently formulated within the transport sector. As the contributory factors and impacts on various groups in society are not always recorded in a consistent format, it can be difficult to assess the needs of the various Islands. Although the evidence presented here indicates that there have been reduc>ons in the number of people killed since 2006, unless investment in educa>on, engineering, enforcement and smart technologies are introduced this downward trend is unlikely to be sustained.
Ensuring that the islands of the Caribbean can address the issue of safer roads for all will con>nue to be a major challenge. Areas such as vehicle standards require significant focus to bring the standards of vehicles imported into the Caribbean on par with similar models sold elsewhere in the developed world. Achieving behaviour change away from the established entrenched behaviours of drivers, motorcyclists, pedal-‐ cyclists and pedestrians will also pose a threat to any long-‐term success. In addi>on, the enforcement of laws to address persistent speeding offences, people driving without licenses and drink and drug driving will also remain areas that will require further government input and more robust enforcement.
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3 ROAD SAFETY STAKEHOLDERS
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ROAD SAFETY STAKEHOLDERS
Changing Aitudes In the Caribbean, road safety is the responsibility of a wide range of stakeholders working across mul>ple disciplines and performing various roles. Across these disciplines efforts are focused on the three ‘E’s -‐ Engineering, Educa>on and Enforcement. However, one of the greatest challenges facing Caribbean road safety is people’s avtudes and behaviours in rela>on roads. The good work being undertaken across the region could quickly lose its momentum and focus if a sustained campaign on changing avtudes and behaviours is not introduced as part of the way forward.
Avtudes to speeding must change because drivers and their passengers recognise that there is a link to speed and fatal collisions but further work is required to re-‐enforce this message to all road users. Although legisla>on exists across many territories that make it illegal to ride a motorcycle without a helmet, or drive in a private vehicle without the use of seat-‐belts, there is s>ll some way to go before these are fully embraced and accepted as a normal part of any journey. Furthermore, the advent of the mobile phone has also presented new challenges rela>ng to road user avtudes.
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It appears that there is a percep>on that the use of mobile phones in vehicles whilst driving is not a problem. This avtude is posing a new concern for Caribbean policy makers. Current research indicates growth in mobile phone subscrip>ons is fastest in low and middle-‐income countries where there are now twice as many mobile phone subscrip>ons as in high-‐ income countries, reflec>ng the rela>ve size of these markets.14 To change avtudes and behaviours par>cularly in these areas, requires collabora>ve effort from all stakeholders. The main stakeholders within the Caribbean road safety sector and their roles are given below (overleaf).
One of the greatest challenges facing Caribbean road safety is people’s aitudes and behaviours in rela>on to roads.
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Caribbean Governments The governments of the Caribbean play the biggest and most influen>al role in road safety and the wider transport sector. The role of government is to set policy for the transport sector, allocate funding and work on managing rela>onships across departments to ensure that effec>ve programmes are developed and delivered.
Emergency Services The police play a vital role in the Caribbean road safety model. Police forces across the region are responsible for enforcing traffic laws, road policing and collision inves>ga>on, which are all key roles rela>ng directly to road safety. These roles place the police in a unique posi>on par>cularly regarding understanding road user avtudes and behaviours. The role of the fire service mainly surrounds aMending the scene of very serious and fatal collisions. They also play an ac>ve role in the community contribu>ng to road safety campaigns in schools. The Ambulance services across the Caribbean are essen>al to road safety. In many cases they provide the first vital life saving treatment required at the collision scene and where necessary ensuring that vic>ms are transported to hospital.
The role of accident and emergency departments within hospitals is to receive and treat vic>ms. In the case of road safety, accident and emergency departments deal specifically with all casual>es and in many cases respond to mass casualty situa>ons away from the hospital environment.
The Community Government, police and emergency services are central to the successful delivery of road safety ini>a>ves. However, the role of the community is to ensure that they take responsibility for safe road use on the road network that is designed to serve them. There will be no improvement to the road safety situa>on in the Caribbean unless the message of personal responsibility for ac>ons by the community, is embraced by all.
Driving Instructor The support and instruc>on that is received when learning to drive plays an essen>al role in the habits and avtudes that are subsequently formed. Driving Instructors who are skilled, well trained and have an understanding of the broad road safety agenda play an important role in preparing new drivers for the road.
Educa>on and Schools The Ministries of Educa>on on each Caribbean Island formulate educa>onal policies.
Any programmes that are delivered in schools must have the approval from the Ministry. Their role is to ensure that the educa>on curriculum includes studies on the environment in which students live and move.
Business and Industry The role of business and industry in rela>on to road safety in the Caribbean surrounds the contribu>on to sponsoring campaigns in schools and suppor>ng the voluntary sector. Providing support for ac>vi>es is essen>al, as in many cases this is the only method through which road safety campaigns can some>mes be funded. Suppor>ng the road safety agenda more broadly is also a key role for business and industry. In the Bahamas work is ongoing to educate workforces about road dangers and threats to health. Through on-‐site presenta>ons and regular engagement with the police force, businesses are playing more of an ac>ve role in addressing the issues that may be directly affec>ng their staff.15 One area of industry that has a more important role than many others is the car dealerships and private vehicle importers. These have a direct role in determining the type, make and features of vehicles that ul>mately end up on Caribbean roads.
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Insurance Companies
Voluntary Sector
Na>onal Road Safety Councils
The insurance companies of the Caribbean ensure that the necessary insurance policies are in place thereby reducing the number of uninsured drivers.
The voluntary and community sectors have historically made a significant contribu>on to road safety in the Caribbean.
In recent >mes, some islands in the Caribbean have introduced Na>onal Road Safety Councils (NRSC).
Most of this work has focused on campaigning for specific laws like seat beats, helmets, penal>es for speeding amongst others.
These bodies comprising members from the private and public sectors and local communi>es, support the introduc>on of policies and the implementa>on of programmes.
The companies work with other agencies to ensure that the number of instances of non-‐compliance can be controlled in order to reduce the risk to road users in the event of a collision. The insurance companies also play an important role in assis>ng in reducing the burden of road trauma to vic>ms and their families.
Within socie>es where resources are generally scarce, the voluntary sector has played the role of ensuring that the message of road safety has remained in the public space effec>vely.
In some cases strong poli>cal leadership underpins the work of the NRSCs.
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4 THE WAY FORWARD
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THE WAY FORWARD This report and the recommenda>ons will mark the start of a journey to build sustainable improvements that could transform the way that road safety is perceived locally, regionally and interna>onally. There is plenty of work to be done to ensure that the significant challenges highlighted throughout this document can be tackled effec>vely and in a way that is systema>c and sustainable.
It is important that the Caribbean embrace the principles of the ‘safe system’ approach to road safety. This approach seeks to develop a road transport system that is beMer able to accommodate human error and takes into considera>on the vulnerability of the human body.16 The approach starts with the acceptance of human error thus the realisa>on that traffic crashes cannot be completely avoided. The principles of this approach must be embraced in order to achieve our vision.
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Long term sustainable improvements to road safety to ensure a safer society across the Caribbean.
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To make this vision a reality a new way of thinking will be required at all levels across the region. Governments must set the example by demonstra>ng a commitment to ensuring a safer region for all people. It will be impera>ve that stakeholders remain focus on delivering the change required and exploring new ways of working collabora>vely at na>onal and regional levels. The greatest change and biggest challenge though, will be required by the people of the Caribbean. We cannot con>nue to accept that deaths and serious injury on roads is an inevitable consequence of road travel.
SeRng a Target Working towards the vision will require support from all partners across the region.
The people of the Caribbean cannot con>nue to accept the level of deaths that are occurring on our roads.
Effec>vely u>lising the best prac>ce from Jamaica and following further reviews of Caribbean collision data, a casualty reduc>on target should be set for the Caribbean against an agreed baseline average, to be achieved over a 10-‐year period.
Embracing the principles of the safe systems approach and the five pillars of the Decade of Ac#on17 could provide the focus for building the founda>ons of a new Caribbean road safety model. It must be acknowledged that we are not going to completely eliminate road deaths from the regions roads in ten years.
This approach will ensure that governments and other stakeholders with an interest in road safety can focus on achieving a reduc>on in deaths and serious injuries.
However, the implementa>on of the following recommenda>ons will serve to provide a founda>on on which to build, thus crea>ng a safer region for future genera>ons.
“Five Pillars of the Decade of Ac2on” Pillar 1 - Road Safety Management
Pillar 2 -‐ Safer Roads and Mobility
Pillar 3 -‐ Safer Vehicles
Pillar 4 -‐ Safer Road Users
Pillar 5 -‐ Post Crash Response
‘Adhere to and/or fully implement UN legal instruments and encourage the creation of regional road safety instruments. Encourage the creation of multisectoral partnerships and designation of lead agencies with the capacity to develop and lead the delivery of national road safety strategies, plans and targets, underpinned by the data collection and evidential research to assess countermeasure design and monitor implementation and effectiveness.’
‘Raise the inherent safety and protec>ve quality of road networks for the benefit of all road users, especially the most vulnerable (e.g. pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists). This will be achieved through the implementa>on of various road infrastructure agreements under the UN framework, road infrastructure assessment and improved safety-‐ conscious planning, design, construc>on and opera>on of roads.’
‘Encourage universal deployment of improved vehicle safety technologies for both passive and ac2ve safety through a combina2on of harmoniza2on of relevant global standards, consumer informa2on schemes and incen2ves to accelerate the uptake of new technologies.’
‘Develop comprehensive programmes to improve road user behaviour. Sustained or increased enforcement of laws and standards, combined with public awareness/educa2on to increase seat-‐belt and helmet wearing rates, and to reduce drink-‐driving, speed and other risk factors.’
‘Increase responsiveness to post-‐crash emergencies and improve the ability of health and other systems to provide appropriate emergency treatment and longer term rehabilita2on for crash vic2ms.’
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Recommenda>on 1 The establishment of a Regional Caribbean Road Safety Agency Ac>ons required to improve the road safety situa>on in the Caribbean must align with what has worked well in developed na>ons. Experience suggests an adequately funded lead agency and na>onal plan or strategy with measurable targets is a crucial part of a sustainable response to road safety18. This agency could be funded by Caribbean governments and be given responsibility for developing a long term strategy for Caricom and the wider Caribbean with ambi>ous, challenging but realis>c targets covering a 10 year period. It would provide the catalyst for driving change across the region and be the single point of contact for interna>onal agencies working to support the reduc>on of global road fatali>es. This report has iden>fied the lack of quality data as a major challenge for the region. A further responsibility of the agency could be collec>ng, colla>ng and publishing annual reports on the condi>on of road safety across the region. The European Commission Road Safety model19 could serve as a best prac>ce example in this area. The establishment of a lead agency within each island of the Caribbean would also provide further strengthening for the sector which would then feed into the regional body.
Recommenda>on 2 Develop a long term na>onal transport plan for each Caribbean island Road safety is a component of transport and should not be seen as an isolated issue from the wider sector. The aim of the na>onal transport plan would be to provide an opportunity for governments to set out clear solu>ons to the exis>ng problems within the transport system. Road safety would be included alongside other policy areas like public transport, walking and cycling and other areas to give a holis>c approach to the transport sector. Australia20, Norway21 and the United Kingdom22 have all taken a similar approach to the transport sector with high levels of success.
Recommenda>on 3 Build on the success of the Jamaica model for data systems management Jamaica has the most comprehensive system for data collec>on, storage, retrieval and dissemina>on of informa>on within the Caribbean. This has provided the founda>on for year on year improvements in reducing road casual>es. Jamaica has received global recogni>on for the work done in reducing road casual>es23. The success of Jamaica must be understood and lessons learnt workshops and seminars should be rolled out across the Caribbean thereby allowing other territories to learn from experience within the region. This could be coordinated through the newly created Regional Caribbean Road Safety Lead Agency which would be best placed to ensure that best prac>ce within the region is disseminated and new sustainable ways of working are created.
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Recommenda>on 4 Strengthen and improve the roles and responsibili>es of key stakeholders Governments There is a need for greater interac>on between government departments and the other stakeholders in order to achieve results and improve road safety. Within Caribbean governments there is normally the Ministry of Transport and Works and the Licensing Authority. These agencies perform specific roles that relate directly to road safety including vehicle registra>ons, inspec>ons and licensing. It is important that these key government agencies maintain good rela>onships and share informa>on through regular mee>ngs and through new secure web base portals.
Police The police must con>nue to provide important support to road safety. This is crucial par>cularly for the provision of collision data and other informa>on and working with engineers and other professionals, to ensure any remedial measures being considered are credible and necessary. The police bring a wealth of experience and perspec>ve that is based on experience gained from the field. Their role however needs to be strengthened par>cularly with training and the provision of modern enforcement equipment, which will allow them to beMer detect and prosecute speeding, wreck-‐less driving, drink and drug driving.
Businesses and Industry All businesses across the Caribbean will have their employees exposed on a daily basis to perceived and real road dangers. Whether it’s travelling to and from work as a pedestrian, driving to the office or driving for business, the workplace is an ac>ve par>cipant in contribu>ng to those who are present within the highway network on any given day. Encouraging work base training programmes led by the voluntary sector and police could be a useful method of improving the knowledge of workforces in rela>on to the local road safety problems.
Voluntary Sector The voluntary sector’s role could be further improved to address widening programmes in schools, working with the business community to develop campaigns and also developing road safety informa>on for mobile planorms. These organisa>ons have an important role to play in building the capacity of the sector in seeking to provide educa>on, training and research.
Insurance Companies Insurance companies must be encouraged and be incen>vised to do more for improving road safety. Their role could be strengthened to include providing suppor>ng data regarding high risk roads. Working with the police, government departments, professionals and other stakeholders, insurance companies must become an integral part of a more coordinated approach. Through improved collabora>on and sharing of informa>on this could help to reduce the instances of vehicles also being used in crimes. Another key area where insurance companies could strengthen their role is in providing support through working with governments for the introduc>on of levies to help fund road safety ac>vi>es. This approach is widely used in Australia24, Finland25 and Canada26.
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2 P I L L A R
Recommenda>on 5 Establish a system of Road Safety Audits and iden>fy collision black spots Adopt and roll out a set of standards for road safety audits to be undertaken across the Caribbean. This must be robust ensuring that any audit recommenda>ons are implemented or a system of excep>ons is in place to deal with recommenda>ons that aren’t being taken forward. Iden>fy the exis>ng areas of black spots and collision cluMer sites and prepare a programme of interven>ons to address these as part of any short-‐term investment plan. Embracing the systems approach will require a shi` away from users towards a more collabora>ve responsibility model. This will mean that designers, planner, police and other professionals take ownership and become more accountable as designers of the system.
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Recommenda>on 6 Improve safety performance and maintenance of vehicles The roles and responsibili>es within the vehicle import sector could be strengthened with ac>ve par>cipa>on in the La>n New Car Assessment Programme (La>n NCAP)27. This programme aims to encourage manufacturers to improve the safety performance of the vehicles they offer for sale in La>n America and the Caribbean region. Vehicle importers are directly responsible for the make, type and features of vehicles imported into the Caribbean. Becoming more ac>ve in La>n NCAP is key to raising the standards of vehicles offered for sale across the region. Further to this, it is vital that a rigorous programme of annual checks is put in place for all vehicles over 5 years old, in order to reduce the instances of poor quality vehicles contribu>ng to serious injuries and deaths. If the Caribbean is going to make any meaningful stride forward towards addressing it’s road safety problem, the standard of privately owned and operated public service vehicles needs to be tackled at the highest level. This will require working more closely with various stakeholders across the region to provide sustainable solu>ons to issues rela>ng to this area. Public transport must become a viable and safe alterna>ve mode of travel as part of the strategy for improving road safety across the region.
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Recommenda>on 7 Develop educa>on programmes in schools and research at universi>es The support of teachers within nursery, primary and secondary schools will also form an essen>al part of developing progressive, impacnul and sustainable road safety policies. The teacher’s role must be one of support and inspira>on to encourage young people to develop more awareness of road dangers and highway safety. Within Caribbean socie>es teachers are at the heart of guiding by example and are able to bring unique influence into the lives of young people. We know from the Caribbean data that vulnerable user groups like pedestrians and cyclists are more likely to die in fatal collisions. Many young people in the Caribbean make journeys to school by walking or on bicycle. It therefore stands that the school environment provides the best opportunity to ins>l this knowledge. Further to primary and secondary educa>on many Caribbean students go onto ter>ary level studies through colleges and polytechnics. It is at this stage that many transi>on from being vulnerable road users to car drivers. The introduc>on of strategies to help them stay safer as drivers and passengers is an essen>al requirement. Providing the young people of the Caribbean with an opportunity to understand how to cope with the risk of the road could allow them to gain greater insight and understanding before obtaining a driver’s license. In order to truly maximise the role of the educa>on sector for the benefit of road safety, research by the University of the West Indies must be encouraged. This should be seen as an avenue to broaden understanding and improve the knowledge base of key professionals involved in road safety and wider transport planning. Encouraging and suppor>ng the use of research through the University of the West Indies will help to beMer understand the issues surrounding deaths on our roads. In addi>on the Caribbean must establish a mechanism for monitoring and evalua>ng the impacts of interven>ons on Caribbean roads to enable lessons learnt to be shared across the region. New standards and qualifica>ons for improving driving instructors to beMer prepare students for driving on the Caribbean roads must also be adopted. This should consider not just the quality of instruc>on but also the quantum of experience; which should include a set minimum number of hours gained, before drivers are licensed.
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Recommenda>on 8 Invest in long-‐term strategies focused on aRtude and behaviour change Governments and stakeholders must collaborate on establishing a sustained road safety campaigned focused on improving road user avtudes and behaviours across the region. This must include delivering high profile television adver>sements, coupled with newspaper adverts, radio shows and social media channels such as YouTube. In order to change avtudes towards road safety the ci>zen of the Caribbean must be at the heart of delivering the needed improvements. The par>cipants in the road environment must recognise that each person has to take responsibility for their ac>ons. Regardless of whether it is for safe vehicle opera>on, safe cycling, use of helmets and seat belts, supervising children walking, controlling alcohol use, everyone must play a part. To enable more ac>ve par>cipa>on at the local level, decision making should be widened to include local community groups in the decision making process par>cularly during preliminary designs of road projects. The authori>es must also ac>vely enforce exis>ng laws that provide for the enforcement of drink and drug driving, speeding, wearing of helmets and seat belts. To support further capacity building within the road safety sector, more resources will be required to support training of road safety professionals, who can ac>vely work with all stakeholders to raise the awareness of the road deaths. To tackle the area of deaths amongst young people, the Caribbean must develop and deliver direct marke>ng campaigns aimed at young people who are learning to drive. This could incorporate a range of elements aimed at reducing the trauma from road injuries and death amongst young drivers.
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Recommenda>on 9 Provide improved digital infrastructure to allow for greater collabora>on across agencies Due to the nature of road safety many partners serve various roles. Those working within the healthcare, trauma and crash scene recovery need further support. These agencies must be encouraged to share informa>on about collision data and vic>ms. This could be achieved through u>lising cloud base technology that would allow the agencies to see each other’s reports thereby enabling new ways of sharing and opening up opportuni>es to beMer understand post crash care. This informa>on could then be used to aid further development across the road safety sector.
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END NOTES 1.
Cost of Traffic Injuries in La2n America, Ibero-‐American Road Safety Conference (CISEV) Bogota, Colombia in June, 2012
2.
Global Status Report on Road Safety, WHO, Geneva, 2013
3. Make Roads Safe report: A New Priority for Sustainable Development , Commission for Global Road Safety, 2009 4. Road Safety Strategy – IDB Closing the Gap: Reducing road traffic deaths in La2n America and the Caribbean, Ac2on Plan 2010 – 2015, Inter American Development Bank, Washington, 2012. 5. Road Safety Strategy – IDB Closing the Gap: Reducing road traffic deaths in La2n America and the Caribbean, Ac2on Plan 2010 – 2015, Inter American Development Bank, Washington, 2012. 6. World Report on Road Traffic Injury Preven2on, WHO, Geneva, 2004. 7. Caribbean Road Safety Stakeholder Group, June 2013
14. Mobile Phone Use: A growing problem of driver distrac2on, WHO, Geneva, 2011 15. Caribbean Road Safety Stakeholder Group, Summary of Bahamas Ini2a2ves, December 2012 16. Country Guidelines for the Conduct of Road Safety Management Capacity Reviews and the Specifica2on of Lead Agency Reforms, Investment Strategies and Safe System Projects, World Bank Global Road Safety Facility, June 2009 17. Global Plan for the Decade of Ac2on for Road Safety 2011 – 2020, WHO, 2011. 18. Global Plan for the Decade of Ac2on for Road Safety 2011 – 2020, WHO, 2011. 19. European Commission Mobility and Transport, Road Safety -‐ hNp:// ec.europa.eu/transport/road_safety/ index_en.htm 20. Brisbane City Council Transport Plan for Brisbane 2008 -‐ 2026, Brisbane City Council, 2008
8. Caribbean Road Safety Stakeholder Group, June 2013
21. Na2onal Transport Plan 2010 -‐ 2019, Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communica2ons, 2010
9. Summary of Accidents for the past 13 Years 2000 -‐ 2012, Guyana Na2onal Road Safety Council, January 2013
22. West Midlands Local Transport Plan: Making the Connec2ons, Centro, April 2011
23. Jamaica receives global recogni2on for road safety, Make Roads Safe -‐ The Global Campaign for Global Road Safety, Press Release, 29 April 2013 -‐ hNp:// www.makeroadssafe.org/news/2013/ Pages/ Jamaicareceivesglobalrecogni2onforroad safety.aspx 24. Vic Roads, Motorcycle Safety Levy, State Government Victoria, May 2013 -‐ hNp:// www.makeroadssafe.org/news/2013/ Pages/ Jamaicareceivesglobalrecogni2onforroad safety.aspx 25. Financing Road Safety Through Levies on Insurance and License Fees, TRL Limited, Ross Silcock, Bab2e Group Limited, 2001. -‐ hNp://www.grsproadsafety.org/sites/ grsp.drupalgardens.com/files/levies.pdf 26. Financing Road Safety Through Levies on Insurance and License Fees, TRL Limited, Ross Silcock, Bab2e Group Limited, 2001. -‐ hNp://www.grsproadsafety.org/sites/ grsp.drupalgardens.com/files/levies.pdf 27. La2n NCAP -‐ www.la2nncap.com
10. The Monthly Number of Deceased Persons Due to Road Traffic Accidents, Suriname Roads Authority, February 2013 11. Road Crash Fatali2es by Category 1991 -‐ 2011, Na2onal Road Safety Council Jamaica, May 2013 12. Fatal Road Traffic Accidents 2006 to 2012, Arrive Alive -‐ www.arrivealiveN.com, January 2013 13. Road Crash Fatali2es by Category 1991 -‐ 2011, Na2onal Road Safety Council Jamaica, May 2013
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