Dili, June 10, 2025 (Lusa) - The commander of Timor-Leste's National Police Traffic and Road Safety Unit, Superintendent Luís Costa, on Tuesday lamented the disregard for traffic rules in the country, which leads to the deaths of dozens of people.

“The dominant factor in accidents is the human factor, especially people’s behaviour, which results in accidents on public roads throughout the country, especially in the capital, Dili,” Commander Luís da Costa told Lusa.

According to him, more than 30 people have died this year on the roads in Timor-Leste, a country with about 1.3 million inhabitants.

Data released by the National Police of Timor-Leste for 2024 indicate that 90 people died in traffic accidents that year.

Superintendent Luís da Costa expressed concern about the lack of awareness among Timorese, who continue to ignore traffic lights and signs, despite awareness campaigns by the Timorese police since 2003.

“I often speak with sadness about accidents caused by ignoring traffic lights, which result in deaths, and this also represents a failure on the part of the traffic police. In Timor, we have signs and traffic lights, but the police still have to be physically present. This reflects human behaviour,” he lamented.

The Timorese capital is an example of disregard for traffic rules by motorcyclists and private vehicle drivers, as well as by drivers of passenger transport, government vehicles and international organisations.

It is common in Dili to see vehicles and motorcycles that do not stop at red lights and do not comply with basic traffic rules, such as using and respecting indicators to indicate direction.

For pedestrians, crossing a road in Dili can be a real adventure, not only because there are not enough crossings, but also because those that do exist are not respected by drivers.

“In developed countries, traffic signs or traffic lights represent the presence of the police. In Timor, it is the opposite: for the signs to work, the police have to be physically next to them,” said Luís da Costa.

The superintendent called on the public to respect traffic rules and contribute to the country’s development and warned that the police will no longer tolerate motorcyclists riding without helmets or driving licences.

In an article published in April, the Mahein Foundation, which monitors the country’s security sector, recommended that the government reform the process of issuing driving licences, launch awareness campaigns, develop a traffic management plan, strengthen the regulation of passenger transport and increase the resources of the traffic police.

DPYF/AYLS // AYLS

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