Mexican Drivers Ignore Speed Limits, Raising Accident Risks

According to data from the Technical Secretariat of the National Council for Accident Prevention (STCONAPRA), an administrative unit of the Ministry of Health (SSA), 66% of drivers in Mexico do not adhere to speed limits. This behavior not only increases the likelihood of accidents but also heightens the risk of severe injuries or fatalities once an accident occurs.?

In 2021, 7.4% of traffic accidents were linked to the consumption of alcohol or other substances that impair driving ability, as reported by SSA. ?Mexico is seventh worldwide in deaths caused by traffic accidents linked to alcohol consumption, which represents about 24,000 annual deaths or about 55 people deaths each day. Most of those deaths are of individuals between 10 and 29 years old.

Additional factors that exacerbate the consequences of traffic accidents include the failure to use child restraint systems, seatbelts and helmets among motorcyclists. Automobile accidents can also arise from reckless behaviors, such as running red lights, changing lanes without signaling, and speeding, as reported by BBVA.

Raúl Gómez Torres, Head, STCONAPRA , highlighted the need to align local regulations with the General Law on Mobility and Road Safety. This law stipulates that maximum speeds near schools, hospitals, and shelters should be set between 20 and 30 kilometers per hour to improve reaction time.

“An estimated 84% of children under 12 years old in vehicles at the time of an accident were not using a restraint system,” says Gómez. He also pointed out that many minors under 12 occupy the front passenger seat, a practice that violates the law.?

Statistics from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) indicate that traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for children aged five to 14 and the second leading cause for young people aged 15 to 34. In Mexico, 44 people die daily due to traffic incidents, with 40% of these deaths involving young adults who were beginning their careers or educational pursuits, as reported by the SSA.

The fatalities and injuries resulting from traffic accidents are treated as a public health crisis in Mexico. Between 2011 and 2020, the country recorded 157,423 deaths related to traffic incidents, according to the SSA.? To address this crisis, STCONAPRA has been tasked with designing public policies aimed at preventing accidents and injuries, and implementing interventions from a public health perspective.?