1. Introduction
In the city of Mazatlán, there is a strong problem of lack of knowledge of basic traffic regulations, from not double parking to the very serious failure to run the traffic lights, this last situation is recurrent which causes traffic accidents on a daily basis that causes from a disqualification to the death of the occupants of the vehicles involved.
According to the Third Report on the situation of road safety 2013 (WHO, 2013), traffic accidents are the eighth leading cause of death worldwide, the panorama of Mexico is very similar every year on average 16,500 Mexicans die, according to the World Organization of Health, Mexico ranks 98th out of 198 countries reporting a rate of 14.4 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, which is below the Latin American average of 16.1 and above the European region with 10.3, which constitutes a public health problem for our country.
According to data from the National Center for Accident Prevention (CENAPRA, now CONAPRA), Sinaloa ranks 9th nationally in terms of traffic accidents, with 16,887 and in particular the city of Mazatlán ranks second at the state level with 4,300 which is 25% of all accidents in the state.
Making a comparison at the national level, Mazatlán occupies the 21st place among the 2,500 municipalities of the country in terms of traffic accidents, so for Sinaloa in general it means a serious public health problem, which must be addressed quickly and blunt.
Mazatlán has had an upward trend since 2004 with an increase in accidents of 244% in just 4 years.
That is why it is necessary to carry out an awareness campaign and road education, as a preventive measure in the city, subsequently implement a program of photo fines in the most conflictive points of the city.
2. Awareness and road education program
The problem of the lack of observance of traffic laws in the municipality of Mazatlán, generates traffic accidents that can not only cause material damage, but also disabilities and deaths, the human factor being the main cause, already causing the high of the accident rates a public health problem, so it is necessary for the population to understand the importance of a ROAD EDUCATION, and the best way to implement this road awareness is education.
The objective of this program is:
- Create road awareness among citizens Create knowledge of traffic laws in the municipality Create respect for current traffic laws and regulations Create respectful attitudes towards traffic officers Promote good manners and basic principles of good conduct towards others.
The implementation of the program at the beginning is proposed, in preschool, primary, secondary schools where it is indicated in an entertaining and fun way where an education and respect for traffic laws, as well as for other users and pedestrians, can be instilled, adapting to the age of each group of infants, the objectives, the contents and the scope of each stage, in such a way that the little ones take road safety education to their homes, many times the claim of your child towards a behavior that that of any uniformed man.
Construction in a space of the city forest a road park, where, simulating city streets, children interact with each other and learn the importance of respecting traffic laws.
For high school youth, education would be more concise and focused on future future drivers, in this case it would be somewhat more attached to the exams applied in municipal traffic offices, for the processing of licenses and thus ensure a greater understanding of the regulations, standards and laws in force.
For people who are already vehicle users, implement a road safety education program in local newspapers, as well as the placement of advertisements, spots on the radio and distribution of brochures in this regard on the main avenues of the city.
3. Program infraction cameras
The mechanism for surveillance, control and sanction corresponds to the municipal traffic police, the number of agents being insufficient or the existing ones inoperative.
Therefore, the municipality of Mazatlán requires strict measures regarding this situation of road insecurity, where the main aspects are:
- The lack of road training of the population as a first instance Lack of respect towards the authorities and traffic regulations, as well as the signs that exist Lack of clear signs and restrictive measures in the city, such as strips pedestrian, lane delimitation lines, graphic indications on the pavement, etc.
So it is proposed to reduce this growing accident rate.
- Training the population in respect of the law. Traffic offenses detected by photo-fine cameras.
Photo fines will be for:
- Failure to stop at a red light or stop Driving a vehicle at a speed higher than the permitted speed Travel through places and times not allowed by the authority (includes the peak and license plate) Travel in vehicles of 3.5 or more tons per Left Lane. v. Parking a vehicle in prohibited places Failure to respect the crosswalk for zebras and authorized signs for their circulation.
The implementation of fine photo cameras implies the contracting of services to individuals, since the equipment is concessioned to various groups, and it is not possible to acquire these, in addition to the fact that a specialized department would be necessary to carry out the review., evaluation and sending of the fines folios.
These services include the development of a road project by installing traffic flow meters in various parts of the city, the evaluation of maximum speeds allowed, in order to determine the best location of the cameras, once the project is completed, the company The person in charge installs the cameras, with the necessary infrastructure, both hardware and software, as well as a vehicle control center with the company's own personnel, who are in charge of revising the photographs taken by the radar, as well as their evaluation with the previously regulated criteria, and then send them to the homes of the vehicle owners.
The collection is borne by the city council, so it will be necessary to implement an efficient system to do so, and not wait until the owner of a vehicle has to sell it or has to use some procedure.
This road control mechanism has been implemented in some of the most important cities of the country, Mexico City, Puebla, Guadalajara, among others, with favorable results in terms of reducing accidents and deaths.
For the implementation of this photo fine system, it is not necessary to modify the current traffic law and that the legal figure exists in said law and a new system will only be being implemented to be able to carry out greater control of the roads in the municipality.
By virtue of the foregoing, I propose that an awareness campaign be carried out towards the population through newspapers and pamphlets, making advertising spots on local television, in a pleasant way and that attract the attention of the population, using cartoons where they show the main road rules and the consequences of non-observance of them.
A pilot program is proposed for the placement of 8 cameras with fines in the most conflictive points of the city and where the highest incidence in terms of users passing the traffic light and speeding is detected, omitting the observance of traffic rules. According to Commander Aarón Aguilar Iñiguez, Director of Municipal Traffic, some of the most conflictive points are Av. Lola Beltrán and Rio Presidio, Av. Carlos Canseco and Av. El Atlántico, Av. Rafael Buelna and Av. de la Marina, as well as various points of Av. del Mar.
Bibliography
- Cervantes Trejo, Arturo. Rosas Osuna, Sergio Rodrigo. González García, Diana Alejandra, Third Report on the Situation of Road Safety 2013, Mexico, DF CONAPRA, IMESEVE, National Injury Observatory, Pan American Health Organization. 2013 Roses Osuna, Sergio Rodrigo. Cervantes Trejo, Arturo. The situation of traffic accidents. Mazatlán, Sinaloa, México, DF National Center for the Prevention of Accidents. 2013.
