The new entity, which is attached to Mintransporte, will have the task of designing strategies to reduce accidents. In Colombia, only in 2014, 32,840 incidents were recorded.
Although since 2013 there are plans and legal support to implement the National Road Safety Agency (ANSV) -an entity that will be the ultimate authority to implement security policies on the roads of country-, only now this new state agency will be operational in the middle of a context in which the government has touted a repeated austerity message.
Natalia Aiello Vies, Minister of Transport, said the new institution (which shall be attached to the portfolio handling), will begin operations in December this year, explaining that the Agency will be the institutional support to put walking plans and security strategies road in the country.
Meanwhile, Deputy Transport Minister Enrique Antes War said they were already published pre-bid for the state to proceed to hire the trust company that will manage the resources of the Agency.
According to the schedule that has the Ministry of Transportation, is expected next November 27th for the trust that the entity thus becomes operational in the first week of December is awarded.
And while you finish making administrative adjustments, the Deputy Minister said that Colombia has worrying levels of accidents on its roads, which translate into figures of 16 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. In neighboring countries such as Chile and Mexico, he said, this figure falls to 10 deaths and the United States, are about 8 per 100,000.
“We have a great challenge not only in road safety plan, but in the Development Plan. In the first half of 2015, a reduction of 2.82 percent of total deaths and 14 percent of injured “was presented.
One purpose of the organization is to establish a National Road Safety Plan which will have to support a diagnosis of accident and the current systems of road safety.
Also, the law says that the entity structure, which “targets and timetables to be completed in a multi-sect oral action to reduce traffic accidents victims shall be determined”. Some detail of this plan that ask driver to wear safety vest in bad weathers.
In parallel with this, the Agency should implement prevention campaigns that are focused road not only to inform, but to “persuade and motivate people to try to change their beliefs or behaviors to improve road safety in general.”
To this the development of a National Observatory for Road Safety which will be responsible to process, analyze and manage all data related to this matter is added.
Moreover, since December, the National Road Safety Fund was created as a special account that will replace the current National Road Prevention Fund and will be responsible for financing activities and investment plans have the National Road Safety Agency.
This -at Fund as Vial- Prevention Fund, explains the law, will have resources from the 3 percent of premiums “collected insurance companies operating compulsory insurance of personal injuries to people in road accidents – Soat- “.
Moreover, the assets that comprise the Agency will have money from the General Budget of the Nation (PGN), goods purchased by the state, donations (from individuals and corporations), financial performance and equity funds remaining available in the at which point the Road Prevention Fund is liquidated.
Figures from the National Police show that last year were recorded in Colombia nearly 32,840 traffic accidents, lower figure of 2.3 percent observed in 2013 (33,621 cases in total).
And it only during 2014, in total accidents, appeared the death of 5,632 people (5,964 died 2013). Traffic accidents, according to Legal Medicine, went on to become the second leading cause of violent death.
According to the Ministry of Transportation, about eight drivers of this type of vehicle die every day in Colombia. Only in the first half, 1,333 motorcycle users were killed in traffic accidents.
In terms of mortality, motorcyclists are followed by pedestrians, passengers, drivers of motorcycles escorts, drivers and cyclists.
A resolution of the Ministry of Transport established that from January 2017 individuals, and public officials (and also trailers), vehicles will have to have elements of active and passive safety as ABS braking system (which prevent lock the wheels when braking), airbags (airbag) and headrests.
In addition to this regulation, the government is also preparing the parameters for the use of helmets for motorcyclists and regulation for all commercial vehicles circulating in the country use reflective tape as a preventive measure.