QCOSTARICA – The director of the Judicial Investigation Organization (OIJ), Francisco Segura, asked the members of the Commission on Security and Drug Trafficking (Comisión de Seguridad y Narcotráfico, in Spanish) the prohibit two people traveling on the same motorcycle.
That is one of six suggestions presented by Segura, as a measure to reduce the number of homicides and assaults perpetrated by individuals travelling on motorcycle.
The trend started in 2014 and is continuing this year, according to the OIJ chief.
The other proposals include helmets with visors be transparent, reflective vests include the license plate number in large type (as used in Colombia for example) and the prohibition of the use of a balaclava (while riding a motorcycle).
The official justified his request with the fact that between 2014 and to date this year, 45 homicides have involved motorcycles, in 21 of the cases there were two people on the motorcycle.
In addition, Segura said that last year there were 1.739 assaults committed by individuals on a motorcycle, and 215 so far this year.
Supporting the proposal is Attorney General, Jorge Chavarria.
“The initiative of the director of the OIJ is aimed at strengthening the prevention of assaults and homicides committed with the use of motorcycles ... we will happy to collaborate with the Commission on Security and Trafficking of the Legislature,” Chavarria said.
The head of the commission, legislator José Francisco Camacho Leiva, said the proposal requires study.
“The measures are good, but this situation goes beyond that … we need to follow the money: who deposited it, who collected, how is moving it, ” said Camacho, explaining that the changes to the laws of forfeiture is required because, at this time, authorities are limited in that field.
Francisco Segura estimated that the country needs to make decisions, because criminals are changing their methods to not be identified by authorities and witnesses. “What is sought is to lower the high number of casualties,” he said.
Source: Nacion.com
This actually sounds like something that would come from the US Dept. of Homeland Security. Bannin 2 riders on a motorcycle is somehow going to stop crime? There has been a war on crime for many years and nothing has changed other than there are innocent people being punished by silly rules such as this. As a typical scenario, I want to ride my motorcycle over to pick up a young lady for a date and get stopped for an offense such as this. Come on now, where is the justice in this? There are many people that live in this country and the best they can afford is a motorcycle for transportation because it is very costly to own an automobile here and now they want to make it a crime for more than one person to ride one?
It might actually prevent crimes if anyone followed the law. As it is, it is very much like Homeland Security’s airport rules – something that gives the (false) appearance that a problem is being addressed.
This had nothing to do with the US Dept of Homeland Security. This is nothing more than one more not well thought out plan that is #1 unenforceable or will be at best selectively enforced which is against the country’s own constitution, and does absolutely nothing to solve the drug and violent crime problem. A step in the right direction might be simply enforcing the existing motorcycle related laws. You want to slow down drug trafficing and lower crime, follow the money.
This set of recommendations addresses a problem that has been common here for many years – that of people on motos assaulting and robbing people at gunpoint, one person driving and the other pointing the gun. I believe that the current transit law originally prohibited two riders on a moto, but that provision was removed because it was impractical. While I have known people robbed under such circumstances, I also realize that a moto is the only vehicle for many families, at least in my area – around here, it is not unusual to see an entire family taking the kids to school on one moto. Making placas bigger and outlawing balaclavas (ski masks) might help. Requiring placa numbers on vests or any other voluntary self-identification (even prohibiting balaclavas) is really futile, as someone planning to commit major felonies is not likely to obey transit laws.
The insane separation of law-enforcement duties is something that really needs to change. As it is, if these changes were in place and a regular cop saw two riders on a moto, he/she couldn’t do anything because the only infraction is a transit one. If a transit cop stopped the riders, he/she could issue only a traffic citation, and couldn’t search them for weapons. All cops should have the authority to enforce all laws, which would effectively increase the number of cops available everywhere. In my area in the hills, it is extremely uncommon for transit cops to come. The fuerza publica sees all knds of traffic infractions (you see few helmets or reflective vests on bikers, and cars have all kinds of strangely-colored headlights and tail lights), but the fuerza publica can do nothing. You can have fuerza publica officers walk or drive past you while you are waiting hours for transito to respond to an accident. We have far too few law-enforcement officers, and this specialization is ridiculous.
Sounds like a good way to get people to buy more motorcycles.
Are there any other countries in the world that ban 2 people from riding on a motorcycle?
If they seriously want to help crime – start prosecuting the serious criminals & jailing them instead of letting them walk away scott free. Then maybe they’ll cut back if they see there are repercussions/consequences to their action.