'Thank God it's Friday!' may no longer be a welcome refrain at the end of the Jamaican workweek, as that day accounts for the highest number of road fatalities in the country.

According to the Road Safety Unit, of the 270 persons killed since the end of October, 19 per cent of fatal accidents took place on a day when many people choose to wind down.

Interestingly, Sundays, a day when many Jamaicans worship, is second with 16 per cent.

Kenute Hare, a director of the Road Safety Unit at the Ministry of Transport and Works, says these weekend accidents are recorded mainly in rural areas.

"What happens is that there are not so many vehicles on the road (in the countryside) at that time, and a lot of motorists engage in reckless manoeuvring," Hare said.

Hare could not give a breakdown of the 'Friday deaths' by parish, but said most of the victims were male. According to statistics from the safety unit, males account for 84 per cent of fatalities.

Many Kingstonians traditionally commute to rural parishes for extended 'getaway weekends' during Easter, indepen-dence cele-brations in August, and the Christmas season.

Several road accidents take place during these mini-holidays.

There is another ominous twist to the Road Safety Unit's tidbit - Christmas Day, this year, falls on a Friday.