And the PM reiterated what the Chief Transport Officer has said: that the government will enact new legislation to minimize motorcycle accidents. But of course, legislation can only go so far, so he's pleading to citizens to be more careful. And he added that the transport department can likely use upgraded technology to catch and penalize perpetrators.
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Motorcycle, oh my God, I wish I had a magic wand to answer that but one of the things we're saying, I think we're going to enact a law that whenever you buy a motorcycle, you have to buy a helmet and a certain grade because a lot of them buy those cheap $25 hat and as soon as they reach, it flies off, and they hit their head so we want to do that, I think we want to amend the law for that also that children also must wear these helmets and I think we need to increase or have better technology for the police that as they're speeding that you have a gun to measure the speed and also be able to capture the license plate so that we can go after them even later because you know on a cycle it's difficult to catch them because they quickly go through different areas. We have to appeal to our citizens to please be careful. Yes you might feel the exhilarating, the thrill on a motorcycle at 80, 90 miles an hour. One slip, one rock you hit the wrong way, you're gone. And also in the town that they'll be speeding and going through different vehicles, from the right side, from the left side, there are reckless, they are putting their lives at stake and putting other people, innocent people through a traumatic experience. I appeal to everyone, please be careful, we are coming into the Christmas season, well the Christmas season has started, be careful. If you're drinking, don't drive, get somebody else to drive, and that's as best as we can do."
And the PM also said that with upgraded roads comes a lot more speeding. He admitted that he has found his own driver going way above the speed limit and had to ask him to slow down. Now he's asking other drivers to do the same.
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"One of the problems we have or the challenges we have is that the better the roads, the more reckless people get, the faster they drive. When you have rough rods, people kind of slow down because of the bumps or the holes or whatever. Now that the roads are better, people are driving very fast and we need to appeal to people that, listen, you can't drive too fast. Use me as an example. At one time I realized that we were driving like 80 miles an hour and then you save like five minutes, ten minutes, and you reach tense, you're stressed because you're going, so I told my driver, hold it down, just a little bit over the speed limit, I will admit. But lot slower and you get there, just try to leave earlier one, and two, you get there when you get there and you're not as stressed. I need to appeal to our citizens to slow it down, to please, in many instances, like what people tell me, I don't have to drive for myself, I have to drive to see other drivers that are coming because they are the ones sometimes that you are on your land taking your time and boom, somebody comes. We need to be able to do more of that. I think we need to maybe consider, and I'm speaking out loud, renewable driver's license to maybe give these people, take another test, see if they understand, what we can do. So that's a downside of improved infrastructure, but we have to ask our people to please be more careful."
