A man on a motorcycle was killed in a traffic accident last night just outside Belmopan near the dump on the Hummingbird Highway.
When police got to the scene they saw a man dead from major head injuries after a collision with a towhead.
The commissioner told us more today and had a word about motorcycle safety:
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"Last night sometime around 6:30, police were called to between miles 49 and 50 on the Hummingbird Highway. There they observed the lifeless body of a male person. Not too far away was a motorcycle and there was also a tow-head in the area. Initial investigation revealed that there was a collision between the tow-head and the rider of that motorcycle which led the cyclist being fatally injured. Police are investigating that matter to see where we go with it and let me say that we are seeing a spike in motorcycle accidents and we want to appeal to motorcycle drivers to please remember that the rules of the road also apply to you."
"I almost had my misfortune with one the other day with one who overtook on the wrong side of the road. Thankfully I look in my rear-view mirror and I saw that he was right there overtaking and I pulled away from him, but one of the main things we are seeing motorcycle riders do is that they overtake vehicles on the wrong hand side of the road and that is very dangerous."
"Riding your motorcycle without helmet is really bad. The helmet is worn for a reason to make sure that if you get involve in an accident, that helmet protects your head from being severely injured by the pavements or whatever the road may be made of and so we just want to caution motorcycle riders to please exercise caution. When you are on those motorcycles, you're not on a bulldozer, you are very vulnerable compared to a person in a vehicle or whatever type of vehicles and so just ride with due care and attention and follow the rules of the road."
Police say they searched the victim and found a social security card in the name of Pedro Raymoundo Lemus.
