Over the years, natural / protected areas suffered damage caused by different factors, amongst others, from the ATV / UTV vehicles. During a press conference held on May 6th 2020, Minister Marisol Lopez – Tromp, announced that the Ministry of Spatial Development, Infrastructure and Environment is working on ways of improving this situation.
The two primary aspects that Lopez-Tromp, the Minister of Spatial Development, Infrastructure and Environment, will be focusing on are: (1) Protection of Aruba’s Natural areas, (2) but also the process of vehicle inspection which is carried out by the Department for Technical Inspections (DTI). Remarkable is that Aruba is among the few countries that allow driving of ATV / UTV vehicles on highways. Considering this aspect, the safety of these vehicles (for drivers and general traffic) is a concern, as stated by Minister Lopez – Tromp.
The ATV / UTV Vehicle inspection process.
As mentioned above, DTI is the government department that is in charge of vehicle inspection, including ATV / UTV vehicles. Currently a relatively small group of ATV / UTV has attended and fulfilled a vehicle inspection. The procedure involves: control for valid insurance, control for number plate payment and the overall condition of the vehicle. These factors determine if the vehicle (in this case the ATV/ UTV), will successfully complete the inspection.
To conclude, Minister Lopez – Tromp indicated that very soon the Aruban community will see more information from the Ministry on this matter. The focus will be on protecting natural areas, from the damage caused by such activities in the future. In addition, achieving a higher amount of ATV/ UTV vehicles to complete the vehicle inspection at DTI.
