The laid-back and tranquil lifestyle of Sanpedranos has changed over the years, as the occasional electric golf cart has given way to an increasing number of gas-powered vehicles, particularly larger vehicles such as sedans, taxi vans, and trucks have been imported on to the island. Despite the flag-stone paving of the principal streets, San Pedro now suffers many of the traffic ills which plague other urban areas, including traffic jams.
Regulating this new traffic environment will become easier as Belizeans can now more easily register and license their motor vehicles through a new digital computerized system, which the Government of Belize began implementing with the technical support and financial assistance of the Government of the Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan in June 2017.
The Ministry of Transport collaborated with the Taiwan (ROC) Embassy in celebrating the achievements of the new Motor Vehicle Registration and License System Project in an exhibition at the Radisson Fort George Hotel on Wednesday afternoon, November 28.
Valan Hyde of the Department of Transport highlighted the significant improvements in service to the motoring public and in the enforcement of transport regulations, which have been achieved through the new system. For one thing, the Department’s records used to be paper files stored in a records room which made it very difficult and time-consuming to research the information about any vehicle registered in Belize or the driving record of any motorist. Drivers’ transport information and vehicle registration were stored separately for each district, which made it almost impossible for the traffic enforcement officers in one district to easily access the records of drivers and vehicles registered in another district.
No more – the new system makes it possible for transport enforcement officers to access the digital records of the other district municipalities, and also to access police and court records with regards to traffic offenders, the origin and registration status of any particular vehicle, its Customs status with regard to the duty paid, when the vehicle entered the country, etc. The ready accessibility of the system will greatly facilitate the work of law enforcement in keeping our roads and vehicles safe.
Transport system data is now stored in well-maintained and secure computer servers at the Central Information Technology Office (CITO) in Belmopan. The security and privacy of all records are guaranteed by CITO, which has achieved international ISO27001 Information security management certification, which is also renewed and updated every two years. Their centralized database collects, shares and searches data immediately. Transport offices are connected online together and are now effectively one office. This system makes it possible for Police to search suspicious drivers’ and vehicles’ information immediately, allowing them to also detect stolen vehicles immediately when they enter an electronic search; traffic tickets are traceable, and the vehicle’s Customs entry can be verified online. The Courts can access this information to assist in the prosecution of traffic offenses; and vice versa, enforcement officers can access Court records.
The project will also establish an integrated and centralized transport system for the entire country. Already the new system of driver’s licenses, vehicle licenses, and vehicles registration have made it impossible to produce fake drivers’ licenses or registration plates, because of the new features incorporated into the license cards, vehicle plates. Registration certificates will now incorporate as many security features as our currency such as watermarks, special fibers, laser embedded technology, micro text, anti-copy patterns, bar-coding, embossed paper, and other security features.
Taiwan’s new Ambassador to Belize H.E. Remus Li-Kuo Chen said the new license and registration system is part of a broader joint initiative between Belize and Taiwan, to help Belize achieve e-government, for greater efficiency and accountability in revenue collection, and transparency to avoid misappropriation of funds. He looks forward to continuing Taiwan’s cooperation in many areas such as agriculture, education, health, ICT and other technological developments.
Ambassador Remus then presented a cheque for an undisclosed amount to Michael Singh of the Central Technology Office and Chief Executive Officer Ruth Meighan of the Ministry of Transport, to continue this technological transformation.
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