QCOSTARICA – The deputy director of the Policia de Tránsito (Traffic Police), Sonia Monge, says summertime is for people, not only children, to spend time outside, walk, exercise, ride a bike, etc… but this also increases the risks of accidents.
For this the Traffic Police is calling on all parents to care for their children and not allow them to use the streets for games, to take them to the parks, and other public or private spaces specially designed for children to play. And in the case they (the parents) have to work, to establish clear rules with their children about where to play.
Tránsito statistics reveal that in 2014, 78 people lost their lives on public roads, nine of which were children. This number represents 22% off the total 355 deaths on the road for the year.
Crossing the street at the base of a pedestrian overpass, not waiting for the pedestrian traffic light to change and walking on the road under the influence of alcohol are the some of the reasons for pedestrian fatalities each week.
Monge in pointing out that one in six people died at the scene of a traffic accident is a pedestrian, said they are people who made a bad decision, like running a mad dash across a busy highway or too lazy to use an overpass.
The problem says Monge is even more serious when compared with drinking and driving, which claimed 21 lives in 2014 or one third of pedestrian fatalities.
