Saint Lucians are being urged to exercise caution on the roads through the newly launched National Road Safety Project. Officially launched on Wednesday, October 8, the initiative targets dangerous driving behaviours such as speeding, mobile phone use, and other practices linked to road accidents.
The programme is led by the Department of Infrastructure, Ports and Transport in partnership with key stakeholders, and coincides with ongoing upgrades to the Millennium Highway and West Coast Road.
At the launch ceremony held at Derek Walcott Square in Castries, the campaign unveiled two taglines: “Don’t Be A Fool, Road Safety Is Cool” and “Slowing Down Saves Lives.” These phrases aim to reinforce the importance of safe driving, especially among young people.
The campaign includes outreach to all segments of society, with targeted efforts toward young males, who account for a disproportionate share of road crashes, as well as children, older adults, and people with disabilities.
Minister for Infrastructure Stephenson King emphasised the significance of the launch, stating: “We are not simply unveiling posters or slogans. We are issuing a national call to action, one that asks every Saint Lucian to answer a critical question, ‘What are you doing to improve road safety’?”
Dr Sharon Belmar-George, Chief Medical Officer in the Ministry of Health, speaking at the launch, highlighted the unnecessary and preventable strain that road accidents place on an already compromised healthcare system:
“Apart from the impact on families and communities, the health sector is one of the sectors most adversely affected by the increasing numbers of road accidents that we are seeing,” she noted.
“The management of road accidents increases the direct cost to healthcare, from emergency transport services, ambulance care, to hospital care, emergency room, surgical care, intensive care, medication, blood bank resources, extended hospital admissions and bed space, extensive rehabilitation and physical therapy.”
Soca star Ricky T, social media influencer Arentha Arthur, and Saint Lucian sprint queen Julien Alfred will serve as Road Safety Champions for the campaign. Ricky T has created a catchy jingle, Arthur has participated in photo promotion efforts, and Olympic champion Alfred lent her voice to the importance of the cause during the ceremony.
“I’m very proud to lend my voice as an official road safety champion for this landmark campaign,” she said. “The reality is that speeding is the biggest cause of death and serious injury on the roads worldwide, and we feel and see an impact too often in Saint Lucia where we are losing too many young people to road fatalities.
“Young drivers and males in particular have a higher tendency to speed. Sadly, our highways are decorated with the RIP portraits of so many victims of high-speed crashes…please slow down, because slowing down saves lives.”
Organisers hope to foster lasting behavioural changes and create a fundamentally safer road environment for Saint Lucia.
