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“EXCELLENCE THROUGH KNOWLEDGE” P A G E 26 Child Road Fatalities and Injury An Analysis of Jamaican Road Users’ Behaviour Patterns and the Impact on Child Safety Rachelle McFarlane Faculty of Education & Liberal Studies The leading causal factors for road crashes in Jamaica are speeding, tailgating, and improper overtaking. These factors have resulted in considerable harm to perpetrators and victims – including children commuting to and from schools. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports have listed road traffic crashes as the leading cause of death among 15–19 year olds and the second ranked cause among ages 5–14. Since 2010, Jamaican authorities have reported that 243 children and youth have been killed and 2,799 seen in A/E for traffic- related injuries. Tis research investigated the behaviour patterns of the Jamaican road users and evaluated their impact on child safety and protection. Introduction: In September 2013, the community of Chudleigh, Manchester, Jamaica mourned the death of four Holmwood Technical HighSchool students as a result of abus crash inNorthEastManchester (Sutherland, 2013). Sutherland noted in her Jamaica Observer article that this was the third tragedy within that year affecting students in North East Manchester. In agreement with Sutherland, Lindo (2013) reported on an earlier traffic crash that resulted in 18 Holmwood students being injured on the Pen Hill main road. Other incidents cited by Sutherland included; 2011, four students died on the Bryce Hill Road after a speeding bus crashed and overturned; 2012, 44 people injured, with eventually one death, in a collision on Pen Hill main road. Hamilton (2012) indicated that reckless driving, overloading and total disregard for other road users are just some of the infractions of illegal taxis and buses across the island; which, of course, is made possible by members of the public engaging their services. Purposeof theStudy: This researchseeks to investigate thebehavioural patterns of Jamaican road users and evaluate their impact on child safety and protection. Although children are defined by the UNCRC as a person below the age of 18, this research will focus on students up to age 19 due to the prescribed duration of the Jamaican education system for children at the secondary level. Objectives (a) To conduct a desk review of road safety trends and initiatives, international best practices and local accident data. (b) To survey the road users so as to determine their perspective on the various road safety initiatives and recently updated Road Traffic Act. RachelleMcFarlane