Transport Minister
Scolds Legislative
Commission For Snails
Pace on Traffic Law
Reforms
Karla González, the
ministra de Obras
Públicas y Transportes (MOPT),
is frustrated at the
slow pace of the
Comisión de Asuntos
Jurídicos del Congreso -
legislative commission -
in dealing with the
reforms to the Ley de
Tránsito (traffic laws).
The minister,
accompanied by a group
of families of victims
of traffic deaths,
yesterday scolded the
legislators that make up
the commission.
The group handed the
president of the
Legislature, Francisco
Antonio Pacheco, a list
containing an
"important" number of
signatures collected by
citizens asking that
legislators approve the
reforms as soon as
possible.
The reforms would
stiffen penalties for
traffic violations, but
more important impose
harsh sentences on drunk
drivers that include
losing their license and
going to jail if found
responsible for causing
death.
González reminded the
legislators that the
proposed reforms is now
18 months in the hands
of the commission.
The minister, in a
serious criticism of the
legislators, said that
they should not be
making "picadillo"
(mince meat) of the
project, picking at its
parts, that attacks the
disrespect for the
traffic laws and
suggests alternatives to
rehabilitate
irresponsible drivers.
To make her point, the
minister reaffirmed that
since the project was
sent to the commission,
350 people have died on
the roads, drinking and
driving being the number
one case, followed by
speeding, failing to
obey a stop sign and
traffic lights.
The minister added that
the stiffer fines would
be part of education
drivers to respect the
rules of the road.
"We believe that the
legislators are
entertaining themselves
with the discussions of
the different parts of
the reform. If this
continues, we will never
see any changes", said
González.
For his part, Alexander
Mora, member of the
Partido Nacional
Liberacion (PLN), and
head of the commission,
assured that the new
text to replace the
original proposal will
be available for
discussion soon.
Mora said that the
contents of the revised
text to the reform will
be tougher than was
presented, like
sentencing to 15 years
prison and not three
months to those in
"pre-drunk" state (0.50
to 0.99) blood alcohol
content and who cause a
traffic accident death.
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