In September 2020, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the resolution A/RES/74/299, "Improving Global Road Safety," proclaiming the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, with the ambitious target of preventing at least 50% of road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030.

Among other things, the resolution summons countries to work towards safe road use by establishing traffic rules and licensing requirements, improving post-crash response by setting up requirements for multidisciplinary post-crash investigation, and calling all stakeholders involved in road safety by proclaiming the shared responsibility for road safety. The aim of this approach is to strengthen the role of the private sector, in particular insurance companies, as motor insurance can improve road safety from different perspectives.

In Jamaica, road crashes represent a major challenge that needs to be addressed from a holistic perspective. Every year, the country faces about 400 fatalities on the road and more than 10,000 people are injured, with a more significant incidence of vulnerable road users. In 2020, the Insurance Association of Jamaica (IAJ) reported more than US$ 31 million paid out to policy holders on approximately 44,000 motor vehicle claims, according to the Jamaica Observer.

Held online, the workshop gathered representatives from the Ministry of Health & Wellness, the insurance industry, and FIA Member Club the Jamaica Automobile Association (JAA), to discuss the road safety challenges Jamaica faces, and create a working agenda to improve road safety through compulsory motor insurance.

Compulsory motor insurance contributes to safe mobility through many channels:

• It provides compensation for the victims of road crashes and their families.
• It can provide resources to national health systems by covering part of the important healthcare costs of road crashes victims. Medical treatments originated in road crashes represent a burden for governments due to the fiscal impact they create and pressure on the medical response as they are a permanent disruption to other medical procedures.
• It is a tool for countries to gather quality data that can be constantly used by authorities in data-driven solutions for road safety and fund prevention programmes.
• It can encourage cautious behaviour, by providing incentives and discounts for compliant drivers.

About Movernos Seguros

To address challenges related to road safety and mandatory motor insurance, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the FIA Foundation and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) co-funded Movernos Seguros in 2018. This programme aims to work alongside public and private institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) to promote the creation or improvement of compulsory motor insurance. From prevention to compensation, motor insurance can lead to a positive behaviour change that ultimately reduces current trends both in fatalities and injuries.

Movernos Seguros advocates that, in addition to enhancing the role of motor insurance, countries must improve their data capacities by coordinating or integrating the various available registries related to vehicles and insurance, and work in a coordinated manner alongside public institutions. In this regard, compulsory motor insurance is a powerful tool for road safety.

Jamaica was appointed as one of the programme's beneficiaries along with Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay. A series of workshops will be organised with key stakeholders to identify, prioritise, and implement a set of activities that will help Jamaica enhance compulsory insurance effectiveness.