And I thought Driving in The Dominican Republic was bad!!!!!!!

drstock

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Oct 29, 2010
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I'm going to live in the Marshall Islands, wherever that is. And we Brits come out second best! No wonder we're always complaining about the standard of driving here so much.
 

greydread

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Jan 3, 2007
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Just a thought. The countries with the highest traffic fatality rates seem to track with the countries rates for HIV/AIDS, infant mortality and a few of the other symptoms of poverty. Could it be that impoverished areas where automobiles are less likely to be up to manufacturers specifications will almost always show higher road fatality rates and that is probably more influential to the statistic than their ability to properly navigate or obey rules of the road?
 

Criss Colon

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Not that at all!
It's because thet the same people who get AIDS/HIV,no prenatal/post natal care,are ignorant,and fatalistic,and take personal responsibility.
Sounds like the DR!
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pi2

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Oct 12, 2011
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I'm going to live in the Marshall Islands, wherever that is. And we Brits come out second best! No wonder we're always complaining about the standard of driving here so much.


Yes, Uk is second after Sweden I think.

If the DR would provide a ban on importing over powerful US cars / SUVs and increase petrol tax so a gallon cost 10-15 dollars much distress and expense in hospitals could be saved. Railways coud be introduced linking major towns and a congestion tax / road priceing introduced to keep cars out of SD etc. where they have priority over the important users pedestrians cyclists etc.

The benefits to industry, tourism, the people at large etc. would be tremendous were these policies to be followed.

The stupid overpasses in SD could be planted with trees and the underpasses converted to mushroom farms should efficient public transport be introduced.

Many cities in the World have large pedestrian/public transport zones where cars are completely excluded.

Even cities as large and complex as London have few overpasses.

The savings in foreign exchage in not importing expensive vehicles and gasoline would be enormous.

Pi2
 
May 29, 2006
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I'm going to live in the Marshall Islands, wherever that is. And we Brits come out second best! No wonder we're always complaining about the standard of driving here so much.

I lived in Majuro in the Marshalls for about a year. Hardly any deaths because it's almost always bumper to bumper at about 10MPH during the day, there's only one real road that's all of 20 miles long, and 90% of the population lives on the first two miles of it. It may have the highest number of cars per mile of paved road in the world. Back when I was there, the license plates only had 3 digits and you'd see the occasional single digit plate here and there.

Any deaths were most likely DWI at night.

BTW, the Marshalls are often cut off of world maps because they are at 172 degrees E. They're about 7 degrees north.
 
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cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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Yes, Uk is second after Sweden I think.

If the DR would provide a ban on importing over powerful US cars / SUVs and increase petrol tax so a gallon cost 10-15 dollars much distress and expense in hospitals could be saved. Railways coud be introduced linking major towns and a congestion tax / road priceing introduced to keep cars out of SD etc. where they have priority over the important users pedestrians cyclists etc.

Pi2
I guess you're yet another do-gooder with a bureaucratic passion to tell others how to live their lives.
 

expatsooner

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Aug 7, 2004
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I think poverty is a def. linked cause to many of these numbers but not because of lower quality of cars but because of the overloaded and largely unregulated, madly driven public transport buses that careen around so that if one of these busses is involved in an accident a large number of fatalities may easily be the result from a single accident.

Of course there are many other factors as well - including the number of smaller motorcyles/mopeds commonly in use on a country's roads - riders of these rarely fare well in accidents.
 

greydread

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Jan 3, 2007
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The stupid overpasses in SD could be planted with trees and the underpasses converted to mushroom farms should efficient public transport be introduced.

This explains much.

Maybe you should've chosen Montana...


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pi2

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Oct 12, 2011
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I wonder what color glasses Pi2 uses???

HB, too cold to type more!!

Istanbul and Turkey had the same chaos as the DR has now. However those in politics had some sense.

Its all fact look it up:

They raised petrol prices to near the highest in Europe.

Taxed car imports very highly.

Made pedestrian zones in cities such as Istanbul. I visted Turkey in the 70 s, worked there in the 2000 s and
have had recent reports from relatives who have visted.

Turkey and DR have common problems - earthquakes and traffic. Maybe those in Turkey have more appropriate skills.

High rises and overpases spell disaster when the earthquake strikes.

Persuading for Pedestrian Zones (Part 2) | TheCityFix

İstiklal Avenue - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

pi2.
 

frank12

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Sep 6, 2011
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I'm sorry, i thought I covered this a few weeks ago in another thread. i must be smoking catnip again. I apologize. Ok, look, i'm going to list for you the reasons why driving in the dominican republic is dangerous. No, i'm not an expert, however, i'm damn close.

1.) 99% of dominican drivers need prescription glasses but either lack the money, the willpower, or possess too much vanity to purchase a pair of glasses. Of course, Oscar De La renta is the only known exception on the island, but he's gay and he see's glasses as a fashion statement...sort of like Elton John. They're not really glasses to see with but, to highlight his new hair-do!

2.) We Dominicans like to drive with our brights on throughout the night to A.) prove to you that we have working lights, B.) prove to you that the electricity bill is paid, C.) prove to you that we lack prescription glasses and need as much illumination as possible to see who we are about to run over.

3.) We Dominicans use traffic lights as a suggestion; not as a rule of thumb. And we use sidewalks as a shortcut for our vehicles to get from point A to point B..

4.) Certain Dominicans (Descendants of Taino Indians) are a nocturnal species, gifted in a genetic mutation that renders daylight driving obsolete; however, we're able to see better at night and choose to drive without the lights on in order conserve battery power.

5.) Dominican Republic possesses many pot holes as large as the largest impact craters on the moon. This has the unfortunate consequence of rendering driving down the road at night something akin to driving in Vietnam or Iraq during the war. i've personally have driven into potholes and not come out for two days straight. that's no joke.

6.) Dominican Republic has been repeatedly bombasted with meteor showers which have impacted the roads and cow pastuers to such an extent that while driving at night, one must circumnavigate and serpintine the meteor impact craters (many the size of a small house), which leaves one vulnerable to head to head collisions and have left thousands of cows missing.

I will be happy to list more if the demand arises.

Frank
 
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latinosecreto

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Apr 12, 2011
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Whoever Honks First

As far as I can determine there is only one traffic law in the DR. Whoever honks first has the right of way.
 
May 29, 2006
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I always find a loaded gua-gua trip exciting when it gets behind a sugar truck and tries to pass it. The sugar truck driver doesn't like to be pass, so he speeds up. The best part is when there is another sugar truck coming in the other direction at the same time.

It's amazing how well-engineered roads can save lives. I saw a woman get cut off in NY at 60MPH and she went into the guide rails which were engineered cables made to break-away but not let the car through. She hit six before the car stopped, and with her air-bag and seat belt, she was able to walk away from it. Other simple devices, like shoulder rumble strips, Jersey barriers, and water-filled barrels save countless lives.

Road safety in the US varies from state to state. Some states don't even require annual inspections for brakes, but overall, fatalities have dropped by about half across the board in the last ten years. Air bags have helped a lot. Texting while driving, not so much.
 

pi2

Banned
Oct 12, 2011
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The UK is safer for sure......
Small cars, low performance, lots of traffic islands, congestion charge keeps cars out of London.....

S.
 

KushLady

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Jan 3, 2012
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What a moron!

Hmmm I think YOU are ignorant, fatalistic and take no personal responsibility in your words... WTH are you talking about?! Oh yea, there's probably no AIDS where u come from uh? IDIOT! smdh


Not that at all!
It's because thet the same people who get AIDS/HIV,no prenatal/post natal care,are ignorant,and fatalistic,and take personal responsibility.
Sounds like the DR!
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