The National Road Safety Council, (NRSC) is urging motorists and pedestrians especially in Western Jamaica to exercise extreme caution during the festive season.

This as holiday traffic and ongoing hurricane recovery efforts are expected to contribute to road conditions becoming more hazardous, especially in western parishes which were most affected by Hurricane Melissa.

According to the Council’s Vice Chairman Dr Lucien Jones, there is a troubling trend in western parishes.

He says recent data show an increase in road deaths in St. James, where fatalities rose from 17 in 2024 to 29 so far this year.

Hanover recorded an increase from 18 to 20 deaths over the same period.

Dr. Jones is appealing to road users to obey the road code at all times.

Jamaica has recorded 352 road fatalities since the start of the year.