NRSC to reach 300 Road Traffic Fatalities in 2011AD – Contractor Mad Money for Automatic Traffic Ticketing System

Thoughts too deep to be exhausted,

And too strong to be suppressed.

George Wither, Mistress of Philarete

The current death toll due to Road Traffic Fatalities stands at two hundred and nine (209) from one hundred and seventy (170) fatal crashes since the start of the year 2011AD. This based on statistics from the Road Safety Unit in the Ministry of Transport and Works as stated in the article “NRSC urges pedestrians to take responsibility for their safety”, published Friday, September 23, 2011, The Jamaica Observer, best expressed in the graphic shown below.

Now there is news of the coming of the issuing of handheld units for the issuing of Road and Traffic Violation tickets by the end of the Fourth Quarter of 2011AD as stated in the article “Cops to use electronic ticketing system”, published Friday, September 02, 2011, The Jamaica Observer

The handy graphic puts it all in perspective for us statistics geeks, as the death toll is slowly approaching the three hundred (300) mark which the NRSC (National Road Safety Council) is trying to avoid breaching as they did last year in 2010AD. To give you an idea of the enormity of the challenge, as of Thursday September 22^nd 2011AD, the NRSC has fourteen (14) weeks and two (2) days to the end of the year, a grand total of one hundred days (100) till the end of the year.

Already Jamaica have two hundred and nine (209) deaths, which means that the NRSC has (dare I say this….) ninety one (91) more people to prevent from dying in order to avoid this most macabre of statistics targets. In effect, the results of 2010AD where three hundred and ten (310) persons died due to Road and Traffic Fatalities as noted in my blog article entitled “JATOO and the Transport Revolution in Jamaica - Babylon By Bus” are bound to be repeated again this year, with a hundred (100) days to go before the end of the year.

Thus the warning of the NRSC to take charge of our personal safety while on the roads is like throwing stones at the John Crows hovering about, awaiting fresh roadkill. NRSC Executive Director Paula Fletcher's request for children of short stature to increase their visibility by raising their hands is still a good idea, quote: “When a motorist sees them and brings the car to a stop and the way is clear, they can then cross the road. It is incorrect for children and adults as well who use this signal, to put their hand in the air and proceed to cross the road”.

I say this, as it was a suggestion of mine from the Fourth Quarter of 2008AD via a phone conversation with a Contractor named Jody a Contractor affiliated with a Telecom Provider CLARO Contractor named DryMax, in which I was discussing strategies to reduce Road and Traffic fatalities. So I am glad to see it being implemented.

But another idea that popped up in that conversation with Jody, that being the idea of an Automated Electronic Traffic Ticketing System! NRSC Executive Director Paula Fletcher had even mentioned such an initiative back in 2009AD as stated in the article “CCTV speed Traps - Surveillance Cams to track Road Hogs” published Monday July 13, 2009 by Tyrone Reid, Staff Reporter, The Jamaica Gleaner.

It got extensive coverage from my blog in the form of an article that predicted the implications of its implementation as stated in my blog article entitled “Information on the Automated Ticketing System”. Everything from capturing Road and Traffic Offenders literally in the mail and thereby increasing Government of Jamaica revenues to making still Photographs, Video and Audio recordings admissible as evidence of a crime in both civil and criminal cases.

In Jamaican Law (and other International Jurisdictions) convictions for any offence are secured only on the basis of eyewitness accounts. No provisions were ever made in the Criminal Offences Act or the Offences Against the Persons Act, the yet-to-be implemented Charter on Rights and Freedoms or any other Acts to allow for electronic recordings i.e. still Photographs or Audio, be they Digital or Analog at the time of recording, to be used by the Jamaica Constabulary Force aka the Jamaican Police to secure a conviction.

Thus legislative amendments would:

1.      Create standards for the registration of the instruments i.e. cameras, video tap devices, Audio devices used by the Jamaican Police

2.      Validate this type of evidence from the Police Officers involved in taking the electronic recordings i.e. still Photographs, Video or Audio, be they Digital or Analog at the time of recording the offence.

3.      Empower citizens with the same ability as the Police to submit evidence i.e. still Photographs or Audio, be they Digital or Analog at the time of recording as evidence in lieu of being a First Person witness to a crime.

Due to the photographic nature of such an extensive Network of cameras, Facial Recognition software could also be used to identify criminals walking or driving about in Jamaica with considerable ease, making tracking and capturing known criminal offenders as simple as waltzing up and arresting an individual upon confirmation of their identity.

Very much a possibility, as the Government of Jamaica is moving to create a new NIDS (National Identification System) as stated in my blog article entitled “Jamaica to adopt National Identification System - NIDS makes Caribbean Islands in the Stream” that would create one (1) System of identification to replace the following forms of identification:

1. NIS (National Insurance System)
2. TRN (Tax Registration Number)
3. National Voter’s ID
4. Passport
5. Driver’s License
6. JADEP Health Cards

Even more intriguing, is that some lucky Contractor, most likely a Telecom Provider, could use their Wireless Broadband Network to power this Network of cameras and thus make revenue from Road Traffic Tickets as stated in the article “CCTV speed Traps - Surveillance Cams to track Road Hogs” published Monday July 13, 2009 by Tyrone Reid, Staff Reporter, The Jamaica Gleaner and as stated in my blog article entitled “Information on the Automated Ticketing System “.

Not to mention help the Ministry of Justice pay up the JA$350 it owes in Road and Traffic Tickets to the Ministry of Finance, an increase of JA$100 million over 2009’s figure based on Prime Time News aired Thursday April 1^st 2010, Television Jamaica. This figure has now ballooned to some JAS$3 billion plus in uncollected Traffic Tickets from Traffic Offenders islandwide as stated in the article “JA$3 billion owed in outstanding Traffic Tickets”, published Thursday February 10, 2011 by Edmond Campbell, Senior Staff Reporter, The Jamaica Gleaner.

It could have even ushered in MNP (Mobile Number Portability). This as in order for evidence from a Mobile camera phone i.e. still Photographs or Audio, be they Digital or Analog at the time of recording, to be admissible as evidence, the Mobile camera phone would have to be registered to the user who captured the evidence using Government of Jamaica approved identification i.e. Voters ID, Drivers License, Passport, TRN, Birth Certificate, effectively MNP.

Since that first blog article, I have been tracking the progress of the NRSC progress as it relates to the implementation of this Automated Electronic Traffic Ticketing System, which was slated to come on stream in eighteen (18) months time since its announcement in July 2009AD, which effectively translated to January 2011AD.

A glimmer of hope came on the horizon with the announcement of the implementation of this camera based, Facial Recognition empowered Automated Electronic Traffic Ticketing System, involving a Database, the necessary legislative changes and handheld ticketing units that recorded the issuing of the Ticket for the Road Traffic Offence at the time of issue as stated in the article “New Ticketing System to collect billions in unpaid fines”, published Friday, February 11^th 2011 20:41 by JIS News.

All summarized and neatly chronicled in my blog article entitled “Motorist, NRSC and the New Traffic Ticket System - Nowhere to Run”. And possibly using Digicel’s newly minted Tier III Data Center as described in my Geezam blog article entitled “Digicel’s Cloud Backup Services – A deep Analysis” for hosting such a Database, giving the Government of Jamaica license to dip into the UAFCL (Universal Access Fund Company Limited) to partially fund this project along with grants from multi-lateral agencies.

This was in February 2011AD; about a two (2) month after the NRSC failed to meets its target of below three hundred (300) Road and Traffic Fatalities in December 2010AD. At which time Director of the NRSC, Kenute Hare aka Rabbit Man was apologetic as he proffered his idea of a ban on Mobile phone usage while driving as stated in the article “Road Safety Unit Looks to Regulate Cell Phone Use”, published Friday, December 31 2010 09:00 By JIS News.

This would be eventually extended to the usage of other dev ices in your motor vehicle while driving, such as your car radio. The move to ban Mobile phone usage while driving was roundly supported by the Telecom Providers as stated in the article “LIME supports ban on cell phone use while driving”, published Friday, February 18, 2011, The Jamaica Observer.

Since all these positive soundings in February 2011AD, nothing has been heard of or has anyone seen a visible implementation of:

1.      A camera based, Facial Recognition Database empowered islandwide Automated Electronic Traffic Ticketing System

2.      The necessary legislative changes in the Criminal Offences Act, the Offences Against the Persons Act and the Charter on Rights and Freedoms or any other Acts to allow for electronic recordings i.e. still Photographs or Audio, be they Digital or Analog at the time of recording to be admissible in lieu of a fearful first Person witness

3.      Handheld ticketing units for Jamaican Police

4.      An islandwide ban on the use of Mobile phone while driving or doing anything else in the car while driving

Not surprising, as no contracts have been tendered for the design and construction of such a System as noted in my blog article entitled “JUTC and the Downtown Municipal Transport Centre - Planes, Trains & AutoMobiles”.

Now would be the opportune time to introduce such a System, as the Ministry of Finance is facing a considerable shortfall in its tax revenues and implementing new taxes would make them hugely unpopular before September 2012AD, the widely acknowledged Constitutionally due period for General Elections.

This as it would help reduce road fatalities and achieve all the issues detailed above in one fell swoop, ALL of which are popular with the Jamaican electorate:

1.      MNP

2.      Reduce Crime

3.      Reduce Road and Traffic Fatalities

Such a contract from the Ministry of Transport and Works on behalf of the NRSC, now two years and two months (26 months) overdue would leave the lucky Contractor licking not only all of their ten (10) finger and (10) toes in delight, but swimming in Mad Money (2008) from the Telecom Providers and the Government of Jamaica’s UAFCL (Universal Access Fund Company Limited) and JA$3 billion in unpaid Road and Traffic Fines.

Double, if said contractor were to secure a contract to build out a Geo-Location or LBS (Location Based Service) Enhanced Emergency Service for the Jamaican Police and other emergency services in Jamaica as also chronicled in my blog article entitled “Enhanced Emergency Services and MRSI in Jamaica - Ananda Alert meets JAWS”, another big ticket item for General Election 2012AD