Director of the National Road Safety Unit in Jamaica, Kenute Hare, says new laws preventing motorists from using cell phones while driving should be implemented later this year.
He is also calling for the modernisation of the Road Traffic Act to include restrictions of other gadgets by motorists while driving.
Hare said the use cell phone is a distracting device that contributes to traffic accidents. He said that the proposed amendments to the Act should be in place by August 2011 and that motorists should get accustomed to using hand free devises when talking on their mobile phones.
“Texting while driving is a no, no. We’re not going to tolerate that. Right now, we want to control the use of cell phones. We are limiting it to hands-free, so it’s not that persons cannot use it, but we prefer that people get used to the earpiece for now,” he said.
He stated that motorists caught by the police using a hand held device while driving will be ticketed.
“This is a global push. It is a concern right across the world. Some countries have even banned it totally; if you are caught talking on your phones while driving, you are prosecuted,” he noted.
With Jamaica’s Road Traffic Act going as far back as 1938,. Hare said it was important that the laws are in accordance with current road safety conditions globally, and brought in line with 21st century standards. The Unit said that since the start of the year 13 persons have been killed as a result of traffic accidents, seven of whom were pedestrians.
While he said he is not sure what role the cell phones played in any of these accidents, but Hare is adamant that a restriction on its use by motorists would have a positive impact on road safety.
“I am certain that a lot of people can testify that the cell phone has caused a lot of problems for them in the traffic environment, and hence the push for us to ensure that our laws are in sync with the prevailing traffic conditions,” he said. (CMC)