More About Traffic

David Greenhalgh came down here from Canada this January after he read a lot of stuff on my website, and fell in love with Belize just as a lot of gringos do.  He is a motorcycle nut, and coincidentally a traffic cop in British Columbia. He shares my concerns about Traffic Safety here in Belize and he is equipped to do something about it.   He was here for about a week and he talked to important people all over Belize North  about law and traffic enforcement.  This is his first report on that work.  If you would like to chat with him, or even help him, his e-mail address is at the end of the report.

TRAFFIC ISSUES IN BELIZE  (COROZAL DISTRICT)

             Traffic enforcement, including enforcement of Impaired (DUI) driving law, is a primary responsibility of the Dept. of Transport.  This division of Government also has responsibility for driver licensing and vehicle registration issues. The driver licence and vehicle registration records are manually kept; there is no computerized database.

            In Corozal seven multi-tasked transport officers and traffic wardens, under the command of a senior transport officer, are responsible for these multitude of tasks. In addition there are three traffic police officers that work closely with their transport colleagues.

            The police can also enforce all traffic law, but are presently (Jan 2002) unable to use the ticketing system used by transport officers. At the present time police enforcement of minor regulations (except parking) is by summons. The primary responsibility of traffic police however is collision investigation.

            The standard fine for a moving offence is $25(BZ). No insurance is $500, No driver’s licence is $100. There may also be small administrative charges. If the fine remains unpaid after a specified number of days the financial penalties increase and can escalate rapidly. 

            On a comparative basis the police and DOT enforcement officers are poorly equipped and their support infrastructure is inadequate.  Other sources refer to them as poorly trained. However the officers I met were personally well educated, well motivated and had thoroughly professional attitudes to their responsibilities.  There was clear evidence of teamwork and mutual respect between police and DOT officials in the District. They also understand their financial and resource limitations and are seeking to actively compensate for this. They are quite specifically aware of the lack of training and will correct this as soon as resources are available.

            In theory all collisions are reportable. Where both parties are satisfied with a personal resolution there may be no report. The collision database is manual and insufficiently details collision causes. Monthly statistical reports are made to Belmopan, but this is a one-way communication with no data analysis being fed back to enforcement officers.

            The Belize National standard for blood alcohol content is 80 milligrams per millilitre (commonly referred to as .08). This is a common worldwide standard. Officers may require a roadside breath test then transport the accused with a requirement to produce a blood or urine sample. Failure or refusal to supply a sample is an offence. A subsequent conviction will result in loss of driving privileges for at least one year and a heavy fine. Police/transport offices are not equipped with breathalyser instruments so the accused is transported commonly to a Doctor or Hospital.

            In addition to driving over .08, there is an impaired driving law that meets a common worldwide standard. This is where the driver may be under .08, but is still clearly impaired by drug or alcohol.

            Enforcement tactics generally revolve around checks at roadblocks. There is little if any mobile enforcement in the Corozal District, principally due to lack of properly equipped vehicles. The actual ticketing process is cumbersome, manual and time consuming. There is no enforcement database. .

            Traffic collisions are the leading cause of death in Belize, ahead of AIDS. At least one in four Belizeans that die this year will die from a traffic collision. 

            This is a preliminary report based on two short staff interviews. Errors or misunderstandings are the responsibility of the author and will be corrected upon proper advice. Late in 2002 the author will be able to provide more detailed information.

Sgt. David M. Greenhalgh

Motorcop@Canada.com

New Note from Sr. Ric: (May 2002)  Now the PD and transport are both out of gas!  (It's up to $3.30US a gallon.)  They fill the truck with patrolman whenever they go out. 

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