Buying a vehicle has become a necessity to get around in big cities or in rural areas, especially since the arrival of the pandemic. Among the possibilities, the motorcycle is par excellence, the most economical and fastest vehicle on the market.
(They find irregularities for $13,955 million in ‘no soat’ claims).
In this way, the city dweller has chosen to acquire a motorcycle, especially in cities like Bogotá, where on average a person loses 94 hours a year in traffic, according to a study carried out by the company Inrix.
In the case of Colombia, to be able to mobilize a vehicle in order, it is necessary perform the Mechanical Technical Review (RTM) of the vehicle and the purchase of the Compulsory Insurance of Traffic Accidents (Soat) on an annual basis, however, these items are avoided by most of these vehicles.
(Colombia is last in tax collection per worker).
According to the Single National Traffic Registry (Runt), in the first four months of the year, 60.9% of motorcycles did not pay the mandatory Soat insurance, a quite relevant evasion compared to cars, which was 24.4% .
This trend of non-payment of insurance has been seen for years, and even in a pandemic it was greater due to the contingency, reaching up to 62.3% of motorcycles and 29.3% of cars registered in the Runt.
In the field of RTM, things are not different. Currently, (cut to the fourth month of the year) 56% of vehicles do not have the Mechanical Technical Review. In the case of motorcycles, this figure reaches 70.5% of the total for this category, a much higher evasion than that of four-wheel transport, which is 32.6%.
Y this evasion continues to increase year after year in the case of motorcycles. For 2021 to April, the non-payment of RTM reached 68.8% of the total and in a pandemic 69.6%.
And it is that for the Runt, “motorcycles are the class of vehicle with the highest evasion of Soat and Mechanical Technical Review”. In contrast, the payment evasion of this category in the case of cars decreases, on a small scale, year after year, since in 2021, it was 33.2% and in 2020, 35.4%.
It is noteworthy that 87% of the vehicles registered in the Runt must do the RTM.
For Fernando Rojas, mobility expert, this non-payment trend is attributed to a decision as a result of the pandemic.
“The Cecánica Technical Review and the Soat end up being burdens for those who have vehicles, more so in a time of crisis like the one we are experiencing,” Rojas said.
Additionally, he clarified, “for many people, RTM is a business that contributes little or nothing in their day-to-day life, especially when they see trucks and buses with a chimney to which nothing happens. Something special happens with Soat. People know that it is important, however, it is an expense that they must do without to cover other needs”.
On the other hand, among the most outstanding trends in motorcycles, is theThe dynamics of women that has already climbed to 49% (16,994 vs 14,671-men-) of A1 motorcycle licenses (for displacement in this type of vehicle up to 125 cm3).
However, in motorcycles with higher engine power (A2 licences), 75% are in the hands of men (5,961,322 vs 1,1770,806 -women-).
PAULA GALEANO BALAGUERA
BRIEFCASE
