For decades, the transit authorities have looked the other way allowing motorcyclists to flagrantly break the transit laws. The politicians have seen these more than three million drivers as voters and have been lax in applying the law.
As a result, those driving cars and those on foot, need to fend for their lives. If there is an accident, the matter is worse. There seems to be an agreement among judges to penalize the driver of the vehicle if a motorcyclist is injured, even if the motorcyclist was blatantly at fault.
Hopes the nonchalance would change with the switch in government from the Dominican Liberation Party to the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM), have not yet materialized. President Luis Abinader first appointed a truckers union employee, Rafael Arias to the National Transit and Transport Institute (Intrant), then the well-known radio transit expert Hugo Beras (removed following a major corruption scandal involving traffic lights), and now politician Milton Morrison.
So far, nothing has changed and the motorcyclists continue to have the right of the road with all others having to be on the constant defensive.
The situation is getting worse every day. Today motorcyclists are already involved in more than 80% of the traffic accidents. The situation is grim for the imprudent motorcyclists themselves. Many of these engage in races, and the young imprudent speedsters too frequently will find themselves tragically without a limb.
Servio Tulio Castaños Guzman, vice president of the Foundation for Institutionality and Justice (Finjus) is calling for authorities to put an end to the chaos of the motorcyclists on the streets. In an interview with Hoy Mismo, he said it is time to declare a state of emergency and begin to seize motorcycles.
He says this is an issue of citizen security. He called for drastic penalties as a way to resolve the problem. He called for legislators to adopt legal measures to regulate fearless driving. He said the motorcycle traffic rules violations have a high cost to the government, costing around 1 to 2% of GDP in hospital and funeral bills.
He called for the Intrant to inspect at least 50,000 to 60,000 motorcyclists a day. Most motorcyclists and their vehicles are not registered. Outside of the capital city, few wear helmets.
“The chaos of the motorcyclists is affecting the quality of life of everyone,” he lamented. He said that independently of the political cost of acting against the motorcyclists, President Abinader can tackle the issue because he has said he will not run for the Presidency in 2028.
Concurrently, Óscar Almánzar, president of the National Federation of Motorcycle Taxi Drivers (Fenamoto) told El Nacional that motorcyclists are out of the control of the authorities. Almánzar argues that stricter regulations and education are crucial to curb the chaotic behavior of motorcyclists, who are involved in the highest number of fatal accidents.
He proposes a free motorcycle regulation plan, complete with a database of drivers’ names, license plate numbers, and contact information to improve public safety. Offenders would be arrested and face consequences.
Almánzar also suggests a national forum on responsible motorcycle use, bringing together stakeholders like motorcycle manufacturers, importers, distributors, consumers, customs authorities, tax authorities, the Digesett, Intrant, the National Police, and insurance companies to find solutions to this crisis.
With motorcycle-related fatalities on the rise, Oscar Almanzar, head of the National Federation of Motorcycle Taxi Drivers (Fenamoto), has called for stricter regulations and education to address the escalating problem, as reported in El Nacional. Almánzar emphasized that illegal motorcycle racing on highways is a significant contributor to the high death toll.
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7 Dias
El Dia
En Television
12 December 2024