Bravo Motors Leads Drive for Safer Highways in Belize

Road traffic accidents are claiming more lives in Belize than murders and that’s a sobering reality. In 2024 alone, one hundred and eight people died on our roads. Those numbers have sparked a national conversation about driver safety. So, in an effort to turn the tide, Bravo Motors, the local Isuzu dealer, brought delivery truck drivers together for a safe driving seminar. The focus is on making highways safer and cut down on the heavy toll collisions take on lives and businesses. News Five’s Shane Williams has that story.

 

Shane Williams, Reporting

With six hundred and eighty-three reported crashes in 2024, road accidents traffic remain one of Belize’s deadliest public safety threats, overwhelming hospitals and shattering families. To tackle the problem, Bravo Motors is using its decades-long alliance with Isuzu to roll out driver training, beginning with delivery truck operators.

 

Paul Rosero, Director of Operations and Marketing, Isuzu Motors Americas

“The main objective is of course to provide safety tips to our customers. To provide the best knowledge about how to use these SUSE trucks in order that our customers will get the three main objectives. The first one to increase safety, the second one to be more economical, using properly the vehicle and the good maintenance that we need to provide to them. And the third one, to be eco-friendly with the environment.”

 

Bravo’s engineers and management team recently took part in a hands-on training program led by experts from Isuzu Motors. The sessions focused on the essentials that keep drivers and passengers safe every day. From daily vehicle checks and proper start-up techniques to smart handling and accident prevention strategies, these skills aren’t simply good practice, they’re also lifesavers.

 

Zac Bouloy, Director, Bravo Motors

“This seminar is a part of our long-term vision to improve road safety in Belize and also improve the way our customers operate the vehicles to increase fuel efficiency and reduce wear and tear on the vehicles. These trucks move a lot of cargo and they cover a lot of miles every day. So these, you know, driving a vehicle could be one of the riskiest things you do on a daily basis. And our goal is to contribute to the safety of our roads here in Belize. So they should be learning how to properly inspect their truck on a daily basis to ensure the truck is in safe operating condition. They will be learning how to move off in a safe way to reduce wear and tear on the truck. And to increase safety for the pedestrians around them. And they will be learning how to stop the truck properly in emergency situations. So all of these together will help to make the truck a safer vehicle on the road.”

 

For the men behind the wheel, the challenges are real. They navigate dangerous roads, haul heavy loads, and constantly deal with the unexpected, from pedestrians darting out to unpredictable moves by other drivers.

 

Mark Reid, San Cas Driver

“Driving on a highway and everything. You have to pay keen attention at all times. You never pay attention to a mirror and anything and the different obstacle that you face on a daily basis, because sometimes you have to think for the other drivers as well because sometimes just like you might get on a curve fi turn and people might forget that you the drive wa big truck. So you have to take wa wider turn than a smaller vehicle. So you have to pay attention a lot because then you have people weh cut in between and dem thing deh so yo have to think bout the pedestrian weh di walk come out and thing because some people noh tek the courtesy fi say give the vehicle wa chance to pass, because people got a tendency to just say, all right, I walk across the street because I di walk. So you have to pay attention to all of those at the same time too, so you just cannot think by yourself in that situation.”

 

This seminar was tailored for delivery truck drivers, but Bravo Motors has bigger plans. They aim to roll out similar training for all their clients, because fewer accidents and safer roads benefit everyone in Belize.

 

Yeder Reyes, Public’s Supermarket Driver

“I driving for at least I think ten years already and to me like every day you are learning something new because a lot of accident happen in the in the highway or somebody, maybe somebody trying to drive and you have to be careful when they try to overtake you or when you try to overtake somebody else too. Some people didn’t mind what kinda load you have in your truck or they just want to overtake you, but you have to be really focusing what you are doing every day. Ask God for when you come out and the same thing you will come back to your home.”

 

Shane Williams for News Five.