This year’s road fatalities among motorcyclists are showing a worrying increase over previous years, with an average of 15 motorcyclists having lost their lives on the roads every month so far this year, said the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT).

From January 1 – March 31, 2017, 54 of the 126 road deaths, or 43 percent, were among motorcyclists, said the MOPT. Note that only those declared deceased at the scene of an accident are tabulated in this data, not those who die later from complications.

Mario Calderón, transit police director, said that last year three times as many motorcyclists died in road accidents than those killed in cars or other vehicles. Road deaths among motorcyclists rose from 114 in 2014 to 197 in 2016, an increase of 73 percent in just two years.

Calderón said prevention campaigns carried out in alliance with private companies, and greater road controls are urgently needed to tackle this problem that has climbed steadily since 2014.

“In the first two months of this year, we gave 1,067 fines for either a driver or a rider not wearing a helmet; we also gave 797 tickets for lack of proper clothing or a reflective vest,” Calderón said.

Speeding is the leading cause of death on the road, and responsible for 37 deaths already this year, and 22 pedestrians have lost their lives on the road during this year’s first trimester due to careless behavior.

Calderon implored motorcyclists to not transport children under five, and to not carry more than one additional rider. Additional safety precautions involve always driving with the lights on, wearing light and/or reflective clothing, not speeding, and always using a directional before turning or changing lanes.

He also cautioned that extra care be taken with the first rains of the year upon us as the water can create slippery conditions by loosening oil which has accumulated on roads during the summer.