THE Fiji Police Force traffic department recorded a decline in the number of road fatalities in the country for the last three months of 2012.
During the last three months of 2012 and since the start of Operation Blitz across the country there has been a 65 per cent reduction in road fatalities compared to the same period last year.
Police director traffic Senior Superintendent Mahesh Mishra said during the months of October, November and December, seven fatalities were recorded which was a significant reduction of 24 per cent compared to the same period last year where 20 lives were lost on the roads.
"This is also the lowest annual fatality toll recorded over the last 25 years," SSP Mishra said.
He attributed the decline to people's willingness to genuinely take traffic advice seriously.
In addition, the year 2012 also saw the lowest motor accident records with 33 reports.
"2012 has not been an easy year and there has been a lot of criticism against our operations however we did not let that deter us from doing our work because our main aim was to prevent injury and the loss of life," SSP Mishra said.
The death toll for 2012 stands at 41 compared to 54 for the same period in 2011.
The Land Transport Authority is also thanking the general public for working with their road marshals and abiding by the road rules in decreasing the road fatality rate last year.
"I am quite elated with the achievement. The decrease in the number of fatalities last year is an achievement in Fiji's history," LTA chief executive officer Naisa Tuinaceva said.
"We have been doing a lot of advocating on road safety through various means such as our education programs and our enforcement activities.
"I must thank all that have been part of this achievement and although this may not mean a lot to some, I can definitely say that it will go down in Fiji's history as far as road safety is concerned," Mr Tuinaceva said.