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Fundasaun Mahein’s report on Traffic Accidents and their Causes in 2014 helped to establish the scope of the dangers that exist on Timor-Leste’s roadways. Unfortunately, since that time, little has been done to improve the safety of traffic.
Between September and October combined, a total of 17 people were killed in traffic-related accidents. In the week of September 12-19 in particular, there were 43 road accidents, resulting in 23 injuries and 5 deaths. This does not account for additional accidents which may not have been reported to police. In light of these incidents over the past week, Fundasaun Mahein would like to call attention to ongoing gaps in traffic safety education and traffic law enforcement.
The first gap begins with licensing, which is meant to prevent people who are not qualified (untrained, underage, mentally ill, or physically impaired) from driving vehicles and causing traffic accidents. The driving test functions as a measurement of ability to operate a vehicle, knowledge of safe practices, and knowledge of traffic laws. At the current moment, drivers must simply complete a small obstacle course, and drive on the roads for approximately 5 minutes in a group of other test takers. Testing groups in Dili are known to be large enough that drivers at the back of the group are actually forced to violate traffic laws by running red lights in order to stay with the group. With a testing group of more than a few people, how can the government effectively monitor each driver for errors? When the driver’s test at this level of difficulty, it is still possible to obtain a license while still possessing minimal knowledge of actual driving laws, and with minimal ability to operate a vehicle.
If the test becomes longer and more comprehensive, less people will be able to pass. However, this can be fixed with standardized driver education and training. This can be offered by private agencies, or by the government itself. It is imperative that the standard of qualifications needed to obtain a license be raised in order to reduce the number of dangerous drivers on the roads. On many occasions, drivers are unaware of Timor-Leste’s laws for proper driving practices, and the dangers of risky behavior (drinking, speeding, driving while tired, ignoring traffic laws) to themselves and to others. In addition, many drivers may not be aware of the legal consequences of their actions, or doubt that they would actually be prosecuted. Until the driver’s licensing process results only in qualified drivers receiving licenses, and until the crime of driving without a license is consistently enforced, fatalities caused by unqualified drivers will continue to occur.
According to Chief Inspector for the PNTL Hendrigue da Costa, the PNTL is planning to operationalize a civil socialization program to educate students on the risks of drunk and fatigued driving. FM applauds this action and stresses that its successful implementation is crucial to cultivating understanding of the risks related to impaired driving. FM would like to encourage the public sector to expand educational resources to all drivers in Timor-Leste, perhaps through the dissemination of teaching materials and public service announcement posters by local deputies. Before disseminating this information, traffic agencies must recognize the importance of their responsibilities, and educate themselves on Timor-Leste traffic laws and regulations accordingly.
While the Chief Inspector was right to suggest that drivers must be more careful and responsible, the police themselves play an essential role in ensuring that drivers take road safety seriously. Traffic police, who are themselves at the forefront of traffic safety assistance, must be properly educated on road safety standards, and how they can help within their roles to encourage safe driving. It is crucial that officers are taught the importance of their jobs, and the direct consequences that result when traffic safety standards are not upheld. Drivers are also in need of educational materials and public awareness campaigns to help them understand safe driving practices, Timor-Leste’s traffic laws and regulations, and the process by which they can seek justice in the case of accidents. A survey in 2013 revealed that the public’s understanding of traffic laws and the penal code is poor.
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example-2-stop-signs-in-the-united-states-of-america
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Another point of urgent need for improvement is road signage. See these examples from around the world, which clearly inform drivers of the speed limit, when to stop, when there is construction or a road closure ahead, and when there is a special hazard in the road.
Another essential problem for the improvement of traffic safety relates to the culture of impunity regarding traffic laws for public officials and their family members. FM would like to call attention to the Prime Minister’s comments regarding traffic safety in February of 2015, when he stated that the PNTL “should pay greater attention to traffic accidents and licensing in Dili. ” In light of these comments, FM will be closely watching the proceedings following the PM’s son’s traffic accident on September 17th, in which the vehicle that he was driving was involved in a crash resulting in the death of two people on a motorbike.
It is crucial that the PNTL enforce the rule of law, and that judicial process is applied, regardless of who was involved in the incident. Otherwise, a system of impunity will continue, in which those with money or power do not have fear of legal consequence, and therefore drive in a manner that endangers those around them. A dangerous culture around vehicles exists amongst public servants, who believe that they can drive without the same consequences as ordinary people. What rights do people actually have if the law does not apply to all members of society?
Around the world, traffic safety officers perform a series of functions in order to enforce traffic laws and to keep people safe. Police officers receive speed detectors from their government that allow them to measure the speed of drivers, and to give people fines who are breaking the speeding law. They also have equipment to measure the amount of alcohol on a driver’s breath, and they arrest drivers who are above the legal alcohol limit. Further, departments of transportation make announcements to the media and through their own websites in order to alert people to days when certain roads will be closed for construction, and to inform people when they open again. Why can we not have similar signs and functions here in Timor-Leste?
Approximately 220 people die every year in to traffic-related accidents in Timor-Leste, at a rate three times higher than that of Canada, Australia, or the United Kingdom. Surely, simple improvements to traffic laws and enforcement can be anticipated to have a large impact.
Fundasaun Mahein remains committed to the improvement of traffic safety in Timor-Leste by advocating for government-supported driver education, heightened standards for licensing processes, effective and impartial enforcement of traffic laws, and efficient documentation and preparation for judicial proceedings where necessary. Traffic safety agencies and officers must pursue these improvements with urgency, in accordance with their constitutional mandate to ensure the safety and security of citizens, and to protect their rights.
FM Recommends:
1. That the government overhaul their driver education initiatives, and establish a course for all drivers to take before obtaining a license.
2. That all relevant traffic safety agencies conduct necessary internal education to clearly establish the importance of their responsibilities for all staff.
3. That the relevant traffic safety agencies establish the need for increased traffic signage nationwide, determine the sites in need of appropriate signs, and install them.
4. That leaders within the government denounce abuses of power and the culture of impunity surrounding driving behavior for public officials.
Atensaun hodi Revee kona-ba Trafiku Siguransa Edukasaun no Regra kona-ba Lei
Fundasaun Mahein nia relatóriu kona-ba asidenti trafiku no ninia kauza sira iha 2014 ajuda hodi estabelese ámbitu perigu sira ne’ebe eziste ona iha Timor-Leste nia dalan-dalan. Infelizmente, dezde tempu ne’eba halo ona oituan hodi hadi’a siguransa kona-ba trafiku nian.
Entre fulan Setembru no Outubro tau hamutuk, ema total 17 mak mate iha asidente trafiku nian. Ih semana fulan Setembru liu-liu iha loron 12-19, iha 43 asidente trafiku nian ne’ebe rezulta 23 hetan kanek no 5 mak mate. Ida ne’e seidauk konta ho asidenti seluk ne’ebe la hato’o ba polisia. Relata fila-fali insidente sira ne’e durante semana pasadu, Fundasaun Mahein hakarak fó atensaun ba siguransa trafiku edukasaun ne’ebe dadauk ne’e la’o hela no kumprimentu ba lei trafiku nian.
Fatin le’et primeru komesa ho lisensa, ne’ebe ho sintidu atu prevene ema ne’ebe laiha kualifikasaun (laho treinamentu, idade minoria, moras mental ka moras fiziku) husi asidente veiklu-sira no kauza ba asidente trafiku. Izame ba motorista-sira funsiona hanesan sasukat ida ba abilidade lori veikulu ida, iha kuinesimentu kona-ba pratika ne’ebe seguru no kuinesimentu kona-ba regra trafiku nian. Agora dadauk ne’e, motorista sira tenki hasoru no halo tuir dezafiu balun deit, lori kareta ka motor tuir dalan sira durante minutu lima (5) nia laran iha grupu ida ne’ebe hetan teste ne’e. Testu ba grupu sira iha Dili ne’e bo’ot tebes katak motorista sira iha grupu sira ne’e nia kotuk bai-bain viola regra trafiku nian hodi tama sinais tranzitu ho marka mean hodi hela nafatin ho grupu hirak ne’e. Ho testu ba grupu ne’ebe liu husi ema nain hira, ohinsa bele governu ho efetivu monitoriza ba motorista ida-idak nia eru? Wainhira teste ba motorista sira iha nivel ne’ebe difisil, ne’e sei iha posibilidade atu hetan karta kondusaun provisoriu ne’ebe iha kuinesimentu minimu ba lei hodi lori veikulu lolos,
Sekarik mak teste ne’e lori tempu kleur no komprensivu liu, ema oituan deit mak sei liu. Maibe, ida ne’e bele hadi’a ho padronizada edukasaun motorista no treinamentu. Ida ne’e bele hato’o husi ajensia privadu sira ka husi governu rasik. Importante tebes katak padronizada kona-ba kualifikasaun ne’e presija hodi hetan lisensa ida ne’ebe hasa’e hodi hamenus numeru motorista sira ne’ebe perigozu iha dalan-dalan. Dala barak liu, motorista sira la hatene kona-ba regras sira Timor-Leste nian ba Pratika lolos ba motorista sira no hahalok perigozu ho risku sira (emu, halai maka’as, lori kareta/motor wainhira kolen, ignora tia sinais tranzitu sira) ba sira-nia an no ema seluk. Alende ne’e, motorista barak mak la dun hatene kona-ba konsekuensia lei ba sira nia hahalok ne’e, ka duvidas katak sira sei hetan prosesa. To’o prosesu ba rezultadu lisensa motorista ne’ebe kualifikadu deit mak hetan, no to’o krimi motorist sira laho lisensa ho konsistensia obriga, ema mate kauza husi motorista sira ne’ebe la kualifikadu sei kontinua akontese.
Tuir xefi inspetur PNTL, Henrique da Costa katak PNTL planu hela atu halo operasaun ba programa sosializasaun sivil ida hodi eduka estudante-sira kona-ba risku husi emu lanu no kolen wainhira lori veikulu. FM louva ho asaun ne’e no enkoraza katak implentasaun ba ninia susesu mak importante hamoris komprensaun kona-ba risku sira relasaun ho motorista sira ne’ebe perigozu. FM hakarak enkoraza setor publiku hodi habelar rekursu edukasaun ba motorista hotu-hotu iha Timor-Leste, bele liu-husi dizaminasaun kona-ba material hanorin nian no servisu avizu publiku (poster sira) husi suplente lokal sira. Antes dezamina informasaun ne’e ajensia trafiku sira tenki rekuinese sira-nia responsabilidade lolos, no eduka sira nia-an ba regra trafiku Timor-Leste nian no tuir regulamentu sira.
Enkuantu xefe inspektor fó sujestaun los katak motorista-sira tenki kuidadu liu no responsavel, polisia rasik iha sira nia papel importante hodi garante katak motorista sira lori dalan siguru ho seriu. Polisia transitu, sira-rasik mos iha ohin deit ba asistensia siguransa trafiku, tenki eduka lolos kona-ba padronizada siguransa dalan nian no ohinsa sira bele ajuda iha sira-nia papel hodi enkoraza lori veiklu ho seguru. Importante tebes katak ofisiais-sira aprende ona importansia kona-ba sira nia servisu nomos konsekuensia imediata ne’ebe rezulta karik padronizada ba siguransa trafiku la hetan apoiu. Motorista sira mos persiza material ba edukasaun no kampana kuinesimentu publiku hodi ajuda sira komprende pratika kona-ba lori kareta ka motor ho seguru, lei no regra trafiku Timor-Leste nian, nomos prosesu ne’ebe sira buka justisa iha kazu asidente ruma. Levantamentu ida iha tinan 2013 hato’o katak komprensaun publiku nian kona-ba lei trafiku no kodigu penal sei ki’ak.
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izemplu-4-sinais-konstrusaun-area-seguru-ihae-united-kingdom
Pontu emerjensia seluk ne’ebe persiza hadi’a mak sinalizasaun dalan nian. Haree izemplu sira tuir mai iha rai seluk, ne’ebe ho klaru informa motorista sira kona-ba limita velosidade, bainhira atu para, wainhira iha konstrusaun ka taka hela dalan iha ohin no bainhira iha azar espesifiku ruma iha dalan.
Problema importante seluk hodi hadi’a siguransa tráfiku relasaun ho kultura impunidade kona-ba regra transitu ba ofisiais publiku sira no sira-nia membru familia sira. FM hakarak fó atensaun ba Primeru Ministru nia komentariu kona-ba siguransa tráfiku iha fulan Febreiru 2015, wainhira nia dehan katak PNTL “tenki fó atensaun maka’as ba asidenti trafiku sira no lisensa iha Dili.” Kona-ba komentariu hirak ne’e, FM sei observa besik liu tan prosesu asidenti husi Primeru Ministru nian oan-mane iha fulan Setembru, iha ne’ebe kareta ne’ebe nia-oan lori involve iha asidenti xoke ne’ebe rezulta ema nain rua (2) mate ho motor ida.
Importante tebes katak PNTL kumpri regra no lei, no prosesu judisiariu aplika duni, relasiona ho sé mak involve iha asidenti ne’e. Se lae, sistema impunidade sei kontinua mosu iha ne’ebe ema sira ho osan ka poder laiha sentimentu ta’uk ba konsekuensia lei ne’ebe legal no tamba ida ne’e lori ho maneira ne’ebe ho perigu ba ema sira ne’ebe hale’u sira. Kultura ida ne’ebe perigu ho veiuklu sira ne’ebe ejiste entre funsionariu publiku sira ne’ebe fiar katak sira lori kareta laho konsekuesia hanesan ho ema bain-bain sira. Sá diretu mak sira ne’e lolos iha sekarik lei la aplika ba membru hotu-hotu iha sosiedade nia le’et.
Iha mundu ne’e, ofisiais ba siguransa trafiku hala’o funsaun serie ida hodi kumpri lei tranzitu sira no salva ema nia vida. Ofisiais polisia sira simu detetor velosidade husi governu ne’ebe autoriza sira hodi sukat velosidade husi motorista sira, no fó multa ba sira ne’ebe viola lei velosidade nian. Sira mos iha ekipamentu hodi koko motorista sira-nia iis ho alkol, no sira kaer motorista sira ne’ebe liu ona limitasaun hodi uja alkol. Tuir mai, departamentu husi transportasaun halo anunsiu iha media no liu-husi sira nia sítiu rasik hodi alerta ba ema hotu loron wainhira dalan sira ne’e sei taka ba konstrusaun, nomos sei informa ba ema hotu wainhira loke fila-fali. Tambasa ita laiha sinais no funsiona hanesan iha Timor-Leste?
Maizumenus ema 220 mate kada tinan iha trafiku asidente iha Timor-Leste, klasifika sa’e dala-tolu husi nasaun Canada, Australia ka Reunu Unidu. Serteza katak hadi’ak nene’ik ba lei trafiku no kumprimentu sei bele antisipa ba iha impaktu ne’ebe bo’ot.
Fundasaun Mahein kontinua iha komitmentu kona-ba hadi’a siguransa trafiku iha Timor-Leste liu-husi advokasia ba governu hodi suporta edukasaun ba motorista sira, padronizada ne’ebe bo’ot ba ba prosesu lisensa, efetifu no kumprimentu imparsial ba lei tráfiku sira, dokumentasaun efisiente nomos preparasaun ba prosesu judisiariu ne’ebe presiza. Ajensia siguransa tráfiku no ofisiais sira tenki halahat duni hadi’ak hirak ne’e ho urjenti, tuir sira-nia mandatu konstituisaun hodi garante seguru no siguransa ba sidadaun sira no proteze sira-nia direitu.
FM Rekomenda:
1. Katak governu haree fali hodi hadi’a sira nia inisiativa edukasaun ba motorista sira, no establese kursu ida ba motorista hotu-hotu hodi tuir antes hetan lisensa ida.
2. Katak ajensia trafiku siguransa ne’ebe relevante hodi halo edukasaun interna ne’ebe nesesariu hodi estabelese lolos importansia husi sira-nia responsabilidade ba pesoal hotu-hotu.
3. Katak ajensia ba siguransa trafiku ne’ebe relevante estabelese nesesidade hodi hasa’e sinais trafiku iha nasaun-laran tomak, determina sítiu ne’ebe nesesita ba sinais lolos no halo instalasaun.
4. Katak lideransa iha governu laran akuza abuzu poder no kultura impunidade hale’u hahalok motorista sira ba ofisiais publiku sira.
