AMET commander General Juan Geronimo Brown says that one of his goals is to prosecute violators of the Traffic Law (Law 241). He believes that “the problem is that there are no consequences for the lawbreakers. Drivers are used to going the wrong way on a one-way street with no qualms because they know that there will not be any repercussions.” He referred to an article in Diario Libre that mentioned a public transportation driver who had been fined 474 times without any punishment or the suspension of his license or the payment of any fines.
The general stressed the need to include some “more drastic measures” in the prosecution of lawbreakers with the aim of reducing the levels of traffic chaos all over the country. “We have begun discussions with the Ground Transportation General Directorate so that they cancel the repeat offenders’ drivers licenses, because fines, vehicle retention, attending a series of talks, or leaving them in detention for 48 hours is no longer effective, so more drastic measures are needed,” he said. He stated that AMET was working towards the “suspension of all bank transactions for traffic offenders who have not paid their fines.” “The aim – said Brown – is to ensure that lawbreakers pay the fines.”