A motorcycle accident that occurred in Chapala in 2018.

Arturo Ortega / Patrick O’Heffernan. – High speeds and lack of safety equipment are  behind the upsurge in  fatal accidents for motorcyclists in Lakeside according to Chapala Red Cross paramedics and nurses. Cruz Roja staff could not comment on illegal driving by motorcyclists but noted that when traffic officers stop motorcyclists accident numbers drop.

Cruz Roja  Relief Coordinator Marco Antonio Gonzalez Hernandez reported that in the months of March, April and May there have been 78 ambulance calls for motorcycle or scooter accidents, most of which involved  young adults, adolescents and in some cases, pre-adolescents.  While previous year accident  data is not currently available, Cruz Roja emergency  staff  told Semanario that 2021 has already  seen  more accidents than last year. Injuries such as fractured arms, legs, and skulls, and skin burns due to road friction are among the most common.

Cruz Roja Emergency staff noticed that that the incidence of motorcycle accidents dropped drastically during the operations that the Secretary of Mobility of the State of Jalisco has implemented  in Lakeside, inspecting vehicles, checking for helmets and other safety equipment and checking for registration and proper licenses, and in their opinion, this has saved many people from dying in accidents.

Cruz Roja Nursing Coordinator, María Guadalupe Ávalos Alcántar, recalls that there was a time when traffic officers picked up motorcycles that were not regulated or were driven by people who lacked safety  equipment,  helmets or visibility vests, but since they stopped implementing the crackdown the number of accidents has increased.  

She recalls a time when officers picked up unlicensed motorcycles and cited drivers without safety equipment but  no more, it seems.

Failure to use basic safety equipment such as wearing a helmet or body protection and arm and leg pads is a serious problem among young riders in Lakeside,  she told Laguna,  citing  the death of a 17-year old girl a few days ago who died from brain injuries when her motorcycle was in an accident.  She was not wearing a helmet that likely would have saved her life.

The emergency staff also told Laguna that drugs and alcohol  also contribute to the accident numbers because stoned or drunk riders don’t realize how fast they are travelling.

Nursing Coordinator, María Guadalupe also told Laguna that the child injuries in accidents are also rising because adults  allow their children to drive scooters or motorcycles and that dealers allow children to buy them  even though they are too young to drive legally or safely. The problem of children riding motorcycles or scooters – and motorcycles and scooters in general –  is more  prevalent in Jocotepec than in Chapala.

Children are injured both as drivers and passengers because in  Mexico it is also very common for several people to travel on a single scooter or motorcycle.  But Marco Antonio said that while overloading a motorcycle or scooter can make the vehicle unstable,  the risk is the same when one or more people travel on a motorcycle because  both motorists and motorcyclists lack a culture of road safety. 

The Cruz Roja staff emphasized that vehicles such as mopeds, scooters and ATV’s  are more unstable at high speeds because they are smaller and therefore have a higher probability of accidents when used on  highways such as the freeway to Guadalajara.

Cruz Roja Nursing Coordinator, María Guadalupe Ávalos Alcántar and Relief Coordinator Marco Antonio Gonzalez Hernandez  have a message for motorcycle and scooter drivers and motorists:  be road-smart, wear helmets, safety vests and pads. Your chances of being injured in an accident will go way down.