The Colombian police have reported a significant decrease in deaths caused by road accidents over the busy San Pedro holiday weekend.
National Police Commissioner General Rodolfo Palomino said nine deaths in road accidents had been recorded over the weekend, down from 31 over the same weekend last year. He added that the authorities had set up 270 check points to guarantee order on the roads for travelers returning home.
Palomino explained that restrictions were placed on heavy vehicles to lighten congestion and the road from Fusagasuga to Bogota was temporarily made a one way route to reduce traffic problems.
Over 6,000 drivers were fined for not respecting the road rules, including 826 for not having a valid driving license and 416 for speeding. Police also tracked down seven members of the criminal gang “los Buhos,” who set up road blocks on the Marquita-Manizales road with logs before robbing any vehicles which stopped.
Preliminary investigations link the gang with other highway crimes commited in Tolima and Cundinamarca in central Colombia.