Changes To Traffic Laws
A Slow Process As Deaths
Continue To Pile Up
The number of deaths
resulting from traffic
accidents continue, as
well as drunk drivers
who for the most part
are responsible for the
majority of the
accidents and deaths,
while legislative
deputies dally over the
proposal by the
Ministerio de Obras
Públicas y Transportes (MOPT)
to raise fines and
harsher penalties.
The MOPT presented its
proposal almost a year
ago in December 2006
that would, for example,
raise the fine for
speeding from the
present ¢20.000 colones
to ¢280.000 colones.
The proposal to reform
the "Ley de tránsito"
(transit laws) is
currently in the hands
of the Comisión de
Asuntos Jurídicos de la
Asamblea Legislativa.
And following months of
discussions there is no
clear decision on the
direction that the
proposal will take.
The MOPT proposal is not
for harsher fines and
penalties for drivers,
but also includes a plan
for the better design
and construction of
highways that include
added security measures
for drivers and plan for
drivers education.
"This will change the
cultural and political
climate with a vision of
security and all its
elements", said
legislator Mario Quirós.
The need for change is
clear. This year so far
there have been 329
deaths or more than 30 a
month, resulting from
traffic accidents, which
the majority involving
alcohol and speeding.
However, the political
will of the legislature
is another. The ministra
de Transportes, Karla
González, is not
concerned of the changes
being discussed to her
proposal, but more so
the time the process
will take.
The major concern of the
minister is that the
legislative commission
wants encompassing
changes and according to
her, the more
comprehensive the
changes, the harder it
will be to get
legislative approval.
Minister González says
that most of the changes
or addendums being
proposed by the
commission are already
in law.
González said the basic
theme is time.
Nine legislators of the
commission said last
month that they need
more time, but did not
say how much time or
proposed a schedule to
get the bill to the next
stage of presenting
before the Legislative
Assembly.
Legislator José Luis
Valenciano and member of
the commission said "the
commission understands
that it should give a
convenient and opportune
response, but it cannot
be given overnight".
Some of the changes
proposed are the
introduction of a point
system, a system used in
North America, where a
driver accumulates
points for traffic
infraction that would
result in suspension of
a drivers license. Fines
that date back to the
90's will multiply by 10
times in many cases and
50 times in the case of
motorcyclist not using a
helmet, the current
¢2.000 colones fine
passing to ¢100.000
colones.
The proposed changes
also would deal with the
detection and prevention
of corruption within the
Transportes and the
Policía de Tránsito that
would see a traffic
official fired within
months instead of the
more than 2 years it
takes now.
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