Key Transportation Reform Bill Set for Review Amid Rising Road Fatalities

The Government’s continued effort to modernize Belize’s transportation laws is taking another step forward next week, as the Public Utilities, Transport and Communications Committee convenes to review the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill 2025.  According to an official notice issued by the National Assembly, the committee will meet on Thursday, December 4, at 2pm at the George Price Centre in Belmopan to examine the proposed legislative reforms. The public is invited to attend or submit written recommendations by December 3. This upcoming review aligns with the broader framework of reforms already outlined by Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Transportation, Chester Williams, who has spent recent weeks speaking publicly about the urgent need to update Belize’s outdated traffic laws, some of which date back to 1958. Williams has emphasized that Belize’s rising number of road fatalities and motorcycle crashes requires not just enforcement, but new, modern legislation.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police: “There’s a lot that we were trying to do from a ministry standpoint in terms of looking at stricter laws particularly to regulate the issue of motorcycles because we’re seeing that majority of these accidents do involve the use of motorcycles. We’re also working with the Standard of Bureau to see how we can legislate safer helmets as our standard helmets to be used in Belize. We are looking at three different types of helmets and we’re copying in what Jamaica has done. I think what we have here is nothing compared to some of the Caribbean countries around us. But that is still not to say that we must just leave it as it is. We still need to do our best to see how we can save our young people. So there’s a lot that we are doing. We anxiously anticipate the next house setting where these amendments should be presented and passed and hopefully by the beginning of January next year we should have new legislations governing the use of motorcycles and highways.”

Earlier this month, CEO Williams explained that the government is prioritizing comprehensive reforms, including new standards for motorcycle training, the regulation of tinted vehicle windows, and updated requirements for driver competence. He has repeatedly noted that these amendments are part of a national push to reduce traffic deaths, improve accountability on the roadways, and align Belize with international safety standards.