The Ministry of Transport rejects the proposal of the senators who want to increase the maximum speed to 60km / h

Small or large, high-end and low-end, and of all colors, Chile’s more than 6 million cars roam its streets and avenues. And it is that, until 2022 —according to a survey carried out by Cadem—71% of households in the country own a car, This number has increased over the years.

SO, In the urban jungle, vehicles must coexist with pedestrians And cyclists a scenario that led to former transport minister Gloria Hutt proposed in 2018 to lower the speed limit in urban areas from 60 to 50 kilometers per hour. With the aim of reducing speeding accidents and taking care of citizens, the change was approved with the Road Coexistence Law.

However, a few days ago a group of senators led by Iván Moreira and José Antonio Coloma (both UDI), presented a bill to raise the 10 kilometers again that Hutt managed to limit.

In this regard, the Minister of Transport and Telecommunications, Juan Carlos Muñoz, tells The third What In Chile, the main cause of death in traffic jams is speeding and, on behalf of your ministry, they are committed to changing this painful reality.

We must not lose sight of the fact that two decades ago in our country the maximum speed was reduced from 50 to 60 km/h and the results were negative -, remember.

Reports from recent years indicate that — despite having lowered the maximum speed — the number of deaths in traffic accidents has still increased.

For this context and others, the CATI law (Automated Offense Processing Center) has been enacted, which, with photoradar, aims to increase inspections, prevent speeding and fine irresponsible drivers.

Senator Moreira, who seeks to increase speed in urban areas, says The third that, for him, This control is a kind of witch hunt.

“The right to self-defense is going to be very difficult in these areas where the cameras are. All motorists will be trapped by the 50 kilometres, because If you walk down the street, you will realize that no one respects you.

The legislator cites a close example: Avenue Andrés Bello, in the capital. It has four tracks and, according to the information it manages, in 2020 a survey showed that 33% of cars were traveling over 50 km/h. In 2022, this figure has increased to 49%.

In addition, in the project document, with the other senators claim that the increase to 60 km/h will reduce journey times of Chileans and that the cause of death in road accidents is mainly due to mobile phone distraction and alcohol consumption.

—It seems to me that this measure of 50 kilometers and now to hunt people with radars is excessive and becomes an abuse, invoking the saving of lives. Yes, lives can always be saved, but common sense must also prevail in the law, ”assured the senator.

On the contrary, Minister Muñoz says the important thing is to focus on the evidence.

“This indicates that the higher the speed, the greater the likelihood of a road accident occurring and its consequences being aggravated. (…) As the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications, we will put all our efforts to convince whoever is needed with clear and solid evidence that increasing speed limits is not a good decision.

The bill is not without controversy. And it is that since the publication of the bulletin that contains it, not only the authorities, but also the experts have been alarmed at the consequences that its possible approval may entail.

One of the scholars who expressed deep concern about the senators’ proposal is Ricardo Hurtubia, an academic in UC’s Department of Transportation Engineering.

in conversation with The third , the expert assured that in the first place, the increase in speed does not reduce travel times because there are always traffic lights and traffic jams. For this reason -in practice- you don’t walk much faster.

-Second, This is a bad idea because all scientific evidence shows that in places where the maximum speed is increased, deaths from road accidents increase. Empirical studies show that the impact of going from 50 to 60 km/h increases the probability that a person will die by 25%,” he said.

—It goes from serious to very serious with this difference of 10 kilometers. It’s absurd, because they win nothing and lose a lot.

This is also the opinion of Dr. Emilio Moyano, road safety expert and psychologist at the University of Talca.

—It is an unsafe measure, since the probability of dying in an accident or in a frontal collision at 48 km/h is 8%, whereas if the speed is increased to 64 km/h, the possibility increases to 19 % and therefore proportionally, at intermediate speeds – says the former Conaset adviser to LT .

Besides, It highlights important information: when driving at no more than 50 kilometers per hour, the driver has more possibilities of maneuvering to avoid the pedestrian, the collision or the accident.

“There is a broad consensus among road safety experts that Chile has taken the right path by gradually reducing the maximum authorized speed and protecting the most vulnerable on the roads”, says the Minister of Transport and Telecommunications .

Even so, Moreira insists that in practice no driver fully respects the established speed limit.

—It would be enough to follow the experts one day with a hidden camera and I assure you that they are not walking at 50 kilometers per hour, as they say.

Moreira assures that, if the law is finally implemented, each municipality will maintain the power to reduce speeds in places where “it considers that there are a lot of risks and dangers”.

However, this does not seem to be a sufficient solution for those who prefer to walk or cycle. And it is that Those who use the “fragile roads” are children, the elderly and cyclists who, according to the former CONASET adviser, are more at risk with this project.

In this sense, a lot of insecurity and fear, this is what Myriam Salazar, director of the Pedal loader which organizes driving education activities for children and teenagers.

—We need lawmakers to work on projects that promote cities for the development of life, where, for example, children can play in the streets or cycle to school, where seniors can walk quietly and are not afraid of being knocked down by a driver that he couldn’t stop because he was coming at high speed -, he says LT .

What Salazar exemplifies is part of a culture that in other countries, such as Europe, is moving to reduce the top speed in urban areas to 40 or even 30 kilometers per hour.

—The civilized world is moving in this direction and these senators want to lead us in the opposite direction. — said the academic Hurtubia.

However, for Senator Moreira, Chile is not a country that shares this culture with the old continent.

“Culture change does not happen overnight as they wish (…). Chile is not like that. And we legislate to protect cyclists and pedestrians at all times. It’s not a whim, he says.

In this context, Salazar, who is also a pedestrian and a cyclist, believes that the project was designed without taking into account those who live on the streets, in addition to cars.

—It seems to me that the senators’ project bears witness to a profound ignorance of the reality and the insecurity who lives on the street due to the high speeds at which motorized vehicles circulate (…). It is difficult for me to be optimistic about this, it is a retrograde and unnecessary initiative. A fruitless effort.