Modifications in public transport vehicles can make them unsafe

When transport operators modify their vehicles (such as “combis”) so they can carry more passengers, they are making them unsafe for the public, authorities warn.

This is due to the possibilities of injuring passengers — or killing them — in the case of an accident, warned René Flores Ayora, auditor of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (CENAPRA), El Diario de Yucatán reported.

Flores Ayora added that this situation can be attributed to the State Transportation Department, since there is a serious carelessness from the agency as they are not providing public transport passengers — at the least — safety waist-belts. Likewise, he used as an example the recent death of a “combi” passenger who lost her life in a mishap in the Chuburná colony, when she was shot out of her seat through the combi’s window, and was then crushed by a taxi.

“Not using a belt is one of the main problems”, he expressed. However, it is more than just that, as the State Transportation Department’s covetousness to carry more passengers — thus, earning more money — may cause the user to get injured if an accidents occurs, as the vehicle will not have a way to protect them, the interviewee lamented.

SOURCE: El Diario de Yucatán