With 55 motorcycle fatalities last year - and the number growing this year - the Ministry of Transport is working to curb fatalities on the road.
One of the measures is the first of its kind training for Transport Officers, in collaboration with the police department - which we told you about yesterday.
But changes are also being made at the policy level. Courtney Menzies spoke with the CEO in the ministry today and has this story.
In the past 36 hours between Thursday evening and Saturday morning, four men were killed in 3 motorcycle accidents - one in Belmopan, one in Teakettle, and two on the Hummingbird Highway.
And while that statistic may be startling, even more alarming is the fact that 55 fatal road traffic accidents last year involved motorcycles.
This terrible collision in Belmopan was captured on a surveillance camera.
It's a pressing issue that the Ministry of Transport is tackling - starting with new legislation.
Chester Williams, CEO, Ministry of Transport
"We have another paper on the table this morning before Cabinet, a very important one that is going to address motorcycles in general starting from the process of obtaining a license for motorcycles to the laws that govern the use of motorcycles. Also looking at training in order to obtain a motorcycle license certification from ITVET or any other reputable institution that can provide training in the maneuvering of motorcycles and importantly it is also going to address increase of fees for motorcycle violations. We have for example, those motorcycles that overtake on the right hand side of the road, we're going to increased the penalty for that. Motorcycles that overtake when an oncoming vehicle is coming, increase the fees for that. Riding motorcycles without helmets, increase the fees for that as well. And we will also be working with the bureau of standard to ascertain a type of helmet that is going to be certified. We will look to other jurisdiction to see what type of helmets they have there that are certified. We may adopt something from some other jurisdiction. At this time, we're looking at the DOT helmets, those are very durable and certified in the US and some parts of the Caribbean."
And it's not just about enacting new laws, it's about enforcing existing ones, especially when it comes to those who sell motorcycles:
Chester Williams, CEO, Ministry of Transport
"Under the law, it provides that any person who deals in manufacturing or repairing vehicles must apply to the Department of Transport for a permit. We're seeing that only those persons who are engaged in the dealing of vehicles are applying for dealer's license, motorcycle dealers and mechanics are not applying for that license so those persons who are currently engaged int he sale of motorcycles are not complying with the law so we took a paper to Cabinet last week which has been approved and we're creating a separate regime of law for motorcycle dealership and again the reason for that is because we want to be able to hold those persons dealing motorcycles accountable because the law provides that if you are a dealer, you have to comply with certain rules so monitoring the amount of motorcycles being sold is important. One would appreciate that, far more motorcycles are sold than motor vehicles so the amount of these motorcycles on our highways is significant. There is nothing being done to make sure that there is regulation that the sales are being regulated so with what Cabinet approved last week, we are now in the process of drafting the law for that and every motorcycle dealer will have to apply for a dealership license and if it is they have an agent that sells for them, like for example, Universal, they are a major dealer so they will have to apply for a dealer's license and if they would have maybe a store that is an agent for them, then they would apply for an agency on behalf of that store that is an agent for them. so with that, we'll be able to have better control and better accountability and most importantly to make sure that the helmet regulation is complied with because it says that every persons who sells or offers for sale a motorcycle must do so with a helmet. We're seeing that the stores are selling motorcycles and they're not selling a helmet with it so that again is a violation of the law so we're also seeking to increase the penalty for that to make sure that in instances where the motorcycles are being sold, that they're sold with the helmet as prescribed by law."
The ministry is also preparing infomercials to sensitize drivers of vehicles about the rules of the road, particularly those concerning motorcycles.
