Bill 463.

Summary.

The bill proposes to amend Law 21 of 2010 and introduce the category of “High Road Accident Zone.” It defines such a zone as a section of public road where the annual statistical studies of the Transit and Land Transportation Authority (Autoridad del Tránsito y Transporte Terrestre) record accident rates above the national average under similar conditions. Identifying these zones would therefore depend on an annual comparison of accident data for sections of public roads.

The Transit and Land Transportation Authority, in coordination with the Ministry of Public Works (Ministerio de Obras Públicas) and the National Civil Protection System (Sistema Nacional de Protección Civil), would be required to identify the zones and update their list each year. The bill calls for a continuous red line painted on the roadway and preventive vertical signs to mark them. These measures would apply to the road sections included on the list under the proposed definition.

The three entities would also have to regulate, through a joint resolution, the maximum speed limits applicable in those zones. In setting the limits, they would take account of the recommendations of the World Health Organization (OMS) and local conditions. The bill further requires an annual report stating the zones’ locations, the measures implemented and the results achieved in reducing accidents. This publication duty accompanies the tasks of identifying and marking the zones and regulating speed within them.

Art. 2 assigns the Transit and Land Transportation Authority, the National Civil Protection System and the Ministry of Public Works responsibility for issuing regulations to implement the proposed law. It sets a maximum period of six (6) months from promulgation for that work. Art. 3 provides that the proposed law would take effect on the day following its promulgation. The announced amendment concerns Law 21 of 2010; the transcribed provisions set out the new definition and related institutional duties, as well as the regulatory deadline and the commencement clause.

The public bodies responsible for carrying out these provisions would be the Transit and Land Transportation Authority, the Ministry of Public Works and the National Civil Protection System. The bill also refers to the World Health Organization as a source of recommendations for setting speed limits. The proposed measures for public roads in the Republic of Panama could concern drivers, pedestrians, transport operators and sectors involved in road infrastructure and traffic safety.