SANTO DOMINGO.- Membership in a passenger vehicle union is key when a Metropolitan Transit Authority (Amet) cop approaches a motorist to issue a summons, because "concho" and bus drivers have "certain immunity" from Traffic Law 241, and has become the first serious accusation of corrupt practices in the entity created in president Leonel Fernandez’s first term (1996-2000).

Since general Latif Miguel Mahfoud was appointed Amet chief, it’s normal to observe traffic cops stop drivers of private vehicles in any corner, specially those in good condition, disregarding nearby cars that are double-parked, without lights or those not wearing seatbelts.

In more than an occasion Amet agents have confessed they cannot give union drivers a ticket because of “inter-institutional agreements between the organism and those unions."

Of the 511,000 fines issued in 2007, most were given to the drivers of private vehicles, not because they are the majority rather from the privileges which they are given.

Amet’s efforts to control the reckless driving on minibuses in their daily battle for passengers of different routes are weak at best, endangering the other motorists.

But if you aren’t a union member and want t be a "privileged person,” you only need to exhibit a police cap or military hat on the dashboard, to drive without a license plate, diver license and insurance, in addition to driving as you please.

When he was designated Amet director in August last year Mahfoud vowed to penalize the members of the Armed Forces and Police agents who broke the traffic law, but didn’t specify in that occasion that fines and tickets weren’t issued to the authorities as they are for civilians, and instead would recommend reprimands through their units instead.

Amet agents also let the unions take over any section of the street and turn it into a terminal, becoming aggressive against those who dare to board or dismount passengers in those places.

One woman, driving a new vehicle, complained that in a corner with rickety vehicles, an Amet agent gave her a ticket for not having the inspection sticker, something most passenger vehicles would legally get because of their deteriorated condition.