Poor state of Venezuela’s roads violates the right to free movement

Despite the provisions of the legislation, Venezuelans face daily risks associated with their safety and physical integrity due to the poor state of Venezuela’s roads.insecurity due to the actions of criminal gangs that operate with impunity and mistreatment and violations of human rights as a result of abuses by officials of the State security forces.

Article 50 of the Constitution of Venezuela states that: “Every person can move freely and by any means through the national territory, change domicile and residence, leave the Republic and return, move their property and belongings in the country, bring their goods into the country or remove them, without more limitations than those established by law. In the case of concession of roads, the law will establish the cases in which the use of an alternative route must be guaranteed. “Venezuelans can enter the country without the need for any authorization.”

The dangers that citizens face and their consequences have transcended national borders, even becoming a cause for alert in the World Health Organization (WHO), which in a report from December 2023, indicates that the country faces a worrying road safety situation that positions it as the tenth country with the most traffic deaths in the world.

Dangers on the roads of Venezuela

In addition to this, those who decide to travel in their own vehicles or in public transportation services have been reporting abuses for years, and even being victims of robberies and harassment by officials at the checkpoints installed throughout the national territory. Those who transport food, provisions or any goods by land do not escape this situation.

Drivers face holes, potholes, subsidence, lack of asphalt on kilometers of roads, cracks and fallen bridgeswhich make it difficult and, in some cases, prevent people and goods from reaching their destination.

In summary, accidents, lack of maintenance, insecurity and surprise checkpoints are the main obstacles faced daily by Venezuelan drivers who travel with their families, who work with heavy-duty vehicles and/or transport passengers when traveling on the main highways of Venezuela, a situation that translates into the daily violation of article 50 of the Venezuelan Constitution, above all, by those who must be guarantors of its compliance.