Traffic law enforcement is highly selective

They say that if you can drive in Belize you can drive anywhere. Whether that’s a comment on the quality of the streets or our fellow drivers is not clear. But one thing that is evident is that recent years have brought a new emphasis on enforcement of traffic laws. That’s probably a good thing…but what if you’re not sure what the law is? Today I hit the road looking for some answers.

With her narrow streets, big cars and short tempers Belize City might seem like a traffic accident waiting to happen.

According to the Traffic Department, so far this year, there have been hundreds of accidents reported within city limits?mand those watchful officers have handed out more than four thousand tickets since January.

But in order to get a ticket you must first violate the law…and in order to violate the law, you need to know exactly what the law is. Which brings us to the point of this story because I’ve come up with four laws that I’m not really sure are laws at all. They are:

1) Seatbelts: Is there a law that says I have to wear them and if there is, does it apply on the highway or in the city too?

2) Can I make a right turn at a red light?

3) Can I give passengers a ride in the pan of a truck?

4) What’s the deal at the North Front Street/Queen Street/Swing Bridge intersection? Can I make a left turn?

So we went to the man in charge of the city’s traffic…Kent Gabb…to get the rules of the road straight.

SEATBELTS

Kent Gabb, Traffic Manager, Belize City

“The law says that everyone must wear their seatbelts. My teaching abroad and what I would encourage anybody, and everybody, is as soon as you get in your car, you strap down. That is the safe and legal way. The vehicle moves off and you’re safe.”

Janelle Chanona

“And that’s front seat and back seat?”

Kent Gabb

“Front seat and back seat.”

PASSENGERS IN THE PAN

Kent Gabb

“Each vehicle has its capacity and if their capacity says three, [it’s] one plus two, meaning the driver plus two passengers. It is clearly stating the cab only where all the safety equipments are. The back is for cargo, not for people.”

RIGHT TURNS ON RED LIGHTS

Kent Gabb

“Yes, you can make a right turn on a red light when it is safe, the responsibility is on you to make a safe right turn unless there is a sign saying otherwise.”

Janelle Chanona

“But what is a safe right turn?”

Kent Gabb

“A safe right is to yield or give away to the traffic that is coming on the green.”

LEFT TURN FROM NORTH FRONT STREET UNTO SWING BRIDGE

Kent Gabb

“The officers are posted out there and their purpose is to alleviate the congestion and ensure safety of drivers out there. That left turn is only to be made in the presence of these officers. If there’s a sign, if the officers are not there, and there are signs, we ask that you comply with those signs.”

But it’s one thing for the boss to know the law…but as our pictures show, Belizeans are openly breaking the rules, which begs the question: do the officers on the streets know it as well?

Kent Gabb

“My officers go through a training period and they should be armed with the basic knowledge of the motor vehicle and road traffic act. We will not put a ticket book in their hands unless we believe that they have the competence to do so. It is the officers who are out there who will be able to detect what type of violation, what type of law you have violated and they will write you a ticket for those violations or to do otherwise. They might choose to give you a break and a warning; warn you. It is up to them how they want to handle the situation.

So when we go out there and we are enforcing these laws, we are not doing it because we like to enforce laws or because we want to or because we hate you, we are doing it for safety purposes.”

According to Gabb, the city is constantly reviewing its policies on traffic management to ensure safe, efficient flow of vehicles. And while new forms of transportation will always pose complications on the streets, Gabb has a message for everyone behind the wheel.

Kent Gabb

“I would just like to ask all drivers: Don’t insist on your right of way, give way and give life.”