Three people — sometimes even four — on a motorcycle is not an unusual sight in Mexico but in Morelos it’s the motorcycle carrying two adult riders that has authorities concerned: many crimes are committed by a two-man team on a bike.
Governor Cuauhtémoc Blanco announced his support this week for a proposed law that would prohibit motorcycle riders from carrying passengers as a means to deter crime.
“I support [the proposal] and I hope that people are aware of [the situation]. I know that sometimes women accompany their husbands on their motorcycle, but we have to do this. Believe me, you can always find criminals on motorcycles when there are two people aboard.”
The governor cited statistics that indicate that 90% of homicides linked to organized crime are committed by men riding motorcycles. But Blanco reassured residents that the new law would not prevent children from accompanying their parents.
The proposal came from state security commissioner José Ortiz Guarneros, who said the state Congress would be asked to prepare legislation to make two adults riding a motorcycle a ticketable offense.
Ortiz said the security commission compiled an extensive list of stolen motorcycles that were later used in criminal activites. According to the list, in the last two months of 2018 and the first month of 2019, police inspected a total of 1,510 motorcycles in the state, and 400 turned out to be stolen.
The proposed law would not be the first of its kind. According to Bogotá, Colombia, security chief Jairo García, a similar measure implemented for three months in high-crime neighborhoods saw a 10% reduction in crime.
And the same restriction was imposed on motorcyclists in Honduras in 2014 for the same reason: criminals found them useful in their work.
Another motorcycle law was passed recently in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, but it was about safety rather than crime. It prohibits riders from carrying children.
Source: Milenio (sp)
