El Salvador presents a paradox in terms of mobility: the country has more driver’s licenses than registered vehicles, but a high number of motorcyclists persist without legal authorization to drive. This phenomenon reveals complexities in road culture, the application of regulations, and the social perception of the process of obtaining permits.
According to data presented by MOVES, an organization specializing in road safety, in 2024, more than two million seven hundred thousand driver’s licenses are registered, while the national vehicle fleet is located at just over two million units.
This difference is explained because many people have various types of licenses to drive motorcycles, cars, or cargo vehicles. Vanessa Rubio, director of the organization, specified in an interview on Frente a Frente “there are people who have two or three licenses, because they drive different types of vehicles”.
However, the statistics reflect an underlying problem: a high number of motorcyclists ride daily without a license. The number of permits issued for motorcycles represents only a fraction of the total number of motorcycles on the streets.
MOVES’ legal director, Hugo Mayorga, pointed out that “there are many people who do not have a license to ride motorcycles.” This situation has direct consequences on road safety, as motorcyclists are among the most vulnerable users and have the highest accident rate.
Accessible procedures, cultural barriers, and the challenge of respecting traffic regulations
The obstacles to obtaining a license are diverse. According to Rubio, the fear of the evaluation process, lack of time, and the perception that the procedure is expensive act as barriers. The director also expressed that people believe the cost is high, although the reality is different compared to other countries.
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In El Salvador, obtaining a driver’s license involves a significantly lower outlay than what is required in European countries. According to the details in the interview, the price is around $100,000 dollars, including the vision test and administrative requirements. In contrast, in Spain, the procedure can exceed fifteen hundred euros. “Here we do not reach such an exaggerated figure,” commented Rubio, who emphasized that the cost-benefit ratio favors the regularization of drivers. Despite economic accessibility, road culture faces challenges that go beyond the formative aspect. Both Mayorga and Rubio agreed that the central problem does not lie solely in the lack of education about traffic rules, but in the lack of respect for existing rules.“We don’t need to relearn that running a red light is forbidden, or that parking on a crosswalk is illegal. We know it, but we don’t respect it,” Mayorga expressed.
Driver’s license: between legality, safety and shared responsibility
Access to the license not only represents a legal procedure, but also a tool to improve coexistence on public roads. “The motorcyclist by himself has a different adrenaline, he feels powerful because it is a different force when driving a car. But being vulnerable and not having a license is not valid”, Rubio pointed out when analyzing the exposure to risk of those who drive without authorization.
Source: INFOBAE
