Police in San Luis R.C. are using warnings in lieu of fines
SAN LUIS RIO COLORADO, Son. — As part of a new accident prevention campaign, drivers who get pulled over for minor traffic violations can avoid fines for first-time offenses.
The city police department’s traffic enforcement division this month launched a new program in which warnings are handed out in lieu of tickets.
The new policy is based on a twoyear-old set of Sonora state traffic laws that set out new rights and guarantees for drivers, motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians using public roadways.
Hector Chavez, the city’s traffic police chief, said the law gives local police department wider latitude to issue warnings that serve not only to promote driver safety but spare motorists’ pocketbooks.
But he said warnings will be given in lieu of fines only to drivers who have no prior offenses, who present driver’s licenses and vehicle registrations, who aren’t driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and whose infractions haven’t put lives of any person in apparent jeopardy.
The new policy is part of a twoyear program in San Luis aimed at promoting overall traffic safety. The program, dubbed “Accident-Free Roadways,” also includes campaigns to promote the use of seatbelts by motorists and helmets by motorcyclists and bicyclists, as well as Taxi Amigo, a campaign that makes use of taxis as designated drivers for people who have been drinking.
Those efforts, said Chavez, “are meeting their objectives. Two years ago the monthly average was 400 accidents (in and around San Luis Rio Colorado), now it’s 250 to 280 accidents a month, a reduction of nearly 35 percent.”