Bartlett visits hotel workers hospitalised from fatal bus crash Loop Jamaica

Black Immigrant Daily News

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett has offered condolences to the families of the persons who died as a result of a motor vehicle crash on the Braco main road in Trelawny on Thursday afternoon.

Three persons died and 26 more were otherwise injured in the collision.

The crash involved two buses, one of which was transporting employees of the Ocean Coral Spring Hotel.

On Friday, Bartlett visited the Falmouth Hospital in Trelawny to see those who were admitted following the incident.

The minister has also reached out to the families of those who have been hospitalised, as well as the staff members of the hotel.

Edmund Bartlett (file photo)

Meanwhile, he has suggested that there needs to be a psychosocial approach to dealing with certain motorists, noting that key questions should be asked, such as: “How do our people think?” and “What influences their actions and choices while they are using the road?”

He said the judgment of some motorists is cause for concern, and is a matter that should be seriously examined.

In pointing out that there may be other issues at hand regarding the quality and state of repairs of the roadways, as well as the levels of road signage, Bartlett said “tourism is interested in a holistic approach to the situation on our thoroughfares, and the sector would be willing to fully engage its partners through the Destination Assurance Councils and look at how do we make the use of our roads safer.”

He added that this needs to be done to “assure the destination’s integrity”.

Bartlett has also lamented that safety and security on the nation’s roads “have reached crisis proportion”, adding that the “number of deaths on our highways are now surpassing several other causes of death in the country.”

He called for motorists to be properly trained so they can use the roads in a more responsible way.

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