Police to Start Safety Tips and Road Rules Campaign for Motorcyclists

There were six road fatalities this weekend and four of those accidents involved motorcycles. The road traffic accidents are not new, but there has been a rise in accidents in recent weeks. The accidents are a concern to the Belize Police Department and so they are embarking on a media sensitization campaign to educate motorists about traffic laws and safety tips. Commissioner of Police Chester Williams told the media today how the campaign will work and what you can expect to learn.

Chester Williams

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“We have become concerned over the fact that the motorcycle riders have become somewhat reckless in the handling of these motorcycles on our highways. So, what we will be doing is that we will be putting together a team which will be led by commander of operations. Those safety pamphlets will be developed between now and Wednesday. We will then be conducting national operations on each and every highway and major roads with a view to distribute and sensitize the public, particularly motorcycle riders. As it relates to the rules of the road, I know that most of you here are drivers and you will see that sometimes you are on the highway and even within Belize City where you see motorcycle fly pass you on the wrong side, overtaking. That is very dangerous. We also see riders without helmets and we also see instances where motorcycles have three or four passengers and it should be only two the most. Those are things that we must address and my thing is that moving forward we must enforce the law where these cycles are concerned, as well as other vehicles that use the highway. While for the most part the motorcycle riders are at fault for being reckless, there are times when drivers of vehicles are at all fault so we have to address it from both angles to see how best we can make it safer for all users.”