Belize Plans Law to Criminalize Overtaking on Solid Lines

Motorists may soon be held criminally liable for overtaking another vehicle in areas where highways are marked with solid lines. Now, most of us have learned in driving school that you only pass when the lines are broken, but that rule isn’t actually backed by law. Right now, it’s more of a guideline than an enforceable offense. That could soon change. Transport CEO Chester Williams says his ministry, along with the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, is working on legislation to make this dangerous practice illegal. The department is trying to cut down on the number of deadly crashes we’ve been seeing on our highways.

 

Chester Williams, Chief Executive Officer, Ministry of Transport

“One is driving with alcohol above the prescribed limit and the other is reckless driving. We have found that many of the accidents occur because of one of those two, particularly the leading will be because of reckless driving, persons who do not adhere to the rules of the road. We need to look at the markers on the highway. You have the yellow line you have the while lines, you have the solid lines, you have the doted lines. These lines are very beautiful, they have meaning. And it cost to put those lines on the highways. But as meaningful as these lines may be they do not have the force of law. So, you can break the law where those lines are concerned and there is no punishment. So one of the things that we have discussed, myself and the chief engineer from the ministry of infrastructure is that we are going to do a joint Cabinet paper to legislate those lines. So, you have where the double lines means that either way you cannot overtake. Many times people overtake on the solid lines. Or if you see a solid line on your side, it means you cannot overtake and a dotted on the other side, the other side can overtake. We are seeing where that is being violated. If we have a system where we can legislate those lines and make it a legal violation then there will be more compliance and it will reduce accident. Many times accident occur in areas where people should be overtaking when should not be overtaking. One of the issues we have is that the law that governs speedometer There is a disconnect with governments, where if you have a spate of violent crime, governments tend to jump and react very quickly, but when you have a spate of traffic accident where people are dying, you don’t get that same reaction. I guess it is because.”