Transport Minister Promises to Enforce Road Safety Regulations

Thirty-eight-year-old Gabriel Mai, who was killed after being struck and run over by a bus on Independence Day while riding his bicycle along Marage Road in Ladyville. Police have since arrested and charged the driver, Phillip Sutherland, with manslaughter by negligence and driving without due care and attention. Sutherland is currently out on bail. Mai’s mother, Lily Betancourt, has tearfully demanded justice for her son and called for safer driving standards across the industry. As Betancourt and the public press for stricter road safety measures, we asked Transport Minister Dr. Louis Zabaneh what his ministry is doing to protect Belize’s commuters and pedestrians.

 

Dr. Louis Zabaneh, Minister of Transport

“About a week ago, I called the head to the police checkpoint at Hattieville because we had to pull over a bus. I personally got out of my vehicle along with the police, and we asked the driver to come down, and I had a very firm conversation with him. We have told the operators over and over again that it is about the safety of the commuters on all of our buses. And our CEO has been working very hard so that we can improve our ability to enforce our laws. Working closely, of course, with the police. We just handed over three new pickup trucks across the country and we are working to get some more. So it’s a matter of our ability to be able to be out there to enforce the laws. Within cabinet, we’re talking about a number of potential changes, improvements to the law with motorcycles with tinting of vehicles, all these different things that have been plaguing us for so long. Within the bus sector itself, this is one of the reasons why we have been working so hard. And I’m grateful to all the operators that have come on board with the process so that we form one consolidated company that would be under professional management. That would be a public private partnership with the government and other investors so that we could start to take control of these acts that put our commuters in danger.”