By Wendy Anders

“We can not accept that our families are dying on our streets,” exhorted Elian Villegas, Costa Rica’s National Insurance Institute (INS) president, in a public video statement issued Friday.

By the end of this year, his agency estimates that 379 people will have died due to road-related accidents, making those accidents the second leading cause of death in Costa Rica after heart-related complications.

With just two months left in the year, Villegas urged people and employers to talk with their family members and workers about being safe on the road, especially those who drive motorcycles, saying the topic was an issue of concern to the entire country.

Nearly half of road-related deaths are among motorcyclists. The INS estimates around 180 motorcyclists will have died in road-related accidents by the end of the year, with the trend increasing in 2017 unless significant changes occur.

The cost of medical care for motorcyclists injured in traffic accidents alone is estimated to cost the nation’s public insurance agency CRC28 billion or about $54 million this year.

Villegas said in his brief video statement that people need to help each other to be safe on the road by talking about safety measures, safe driving, and taking precautions.