WILLEMSTAD – Eight years after Curaçao’s Council for Law Enforcement issued a series of recommendations to strengthen traffic enforcement, fewer than half have been fully implemented, raising renewed concerns about road safety on the island.
According to a follow-up review by the Council, only nine of the 20 recommendations issued in 2017 have been fully implemented. Ten remain unimplemented and one has been partially carried out. This means just 45 percent of the recommendations have been completed.
The Council considers the slow progress concerning because traffic enforcement is directly connected to the protection and safety of residents. Significant shortcomings remain in legislation, police training, data-driven enforcement and the evaluation of traffic controls.
One of the most important unresolved issues is the modernization of Curaçao’s traffic legislation. Current legislation still lacks provisions covering vehicle-owner liability for traffic violations, mandatory helmets for quad drivers and a legal framework allowing saliva tests when motorists are suspected of driving under the influence of drugs.
Curaçao also lacks a system allowing certain traffic violations to be handled through administrative enforcement rather than the existing judicial process. According to the Council, these legislative gaps restrict the authorities’ ability to enforce traffic laws effectively.
The Ministry of Justice attributes part of the delay to a shortage of legislative lawyers. A working group involving the ministries responsible for Justice and Traffic, Transport and Spatial Planning has since been established to work on new legislation. A draft revised Road Traffic Ordinance remains with VVRP for further processing.
Problems also remain within the Curaçao Police Force (KPC). Traffic controls targeting speeding, driving under the influence, running red lights and failure to wear seat belts have not yet been structurally embedded in police operations. Guidelines governing such controls have also not been formally communicated throughout the police force.
The Council found that formal performance indicators for traffic enforcement are missing from annual plans and that the results of traffic controls are not systematically evaluated. The supervisory body said it found no plausible explanation for the absence of these indicators.
Without measurable objectives and subsequent evaluation, authorities have difficulty determining whether enforcement operations are producing results or where adjustments are necessary.
Another recommendation still outstanding is a dedicated traffic application that would allow authorities to collect and analyze information about traffic controls and violations. Eight years after the original recommendation, the application remains in the design phase.
The Council warned that continued delays have consequences for road safety. As long as essential recommendations remain unimplemented, it says the risks of traffic accidents and casualties remain high and has urged the responsible government agencies to accelerate implementation.