Please wear your helmets folks..

sayanora

Silver
Feb 22, 2012
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Lady was killed in front of Janet's supermarket in Cabarete about an hour ago .. wasn't wearing her helmet on her pasola and a jeepeta came thru and smashed her.. This makes 14 accidents in 8 months involving motorists not wearing helmets that I've personally seen here in Cabarete.. The next tourist I see on a motorbike with no helmet on I'm pulling over and smacking directly in the mouth.. folks, don't come on vacation and risk your life this way.
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
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ah, don't you know that people come here for freedom? they need to wear helmets back home but in DR they can do as they please. and as long as they wear long pants it's fine, right?

caution: sarcasm
 

jackichan

Bronze
Jun 23, 2011
540
0
0
Lady was killed in front of Janet's supermarket in Cabarete about an hour ago .. wasn't wearing her helmet on her pasola and a jeepeta came thru and smashed her.. This makes 14 accidents in 8 months involving motorists not wearing helmets that I've personally seen here in Cabarete.. The next tourist I see on a motorbike with no helmet on I'm pulling over and smacking directly in the mouth.. folks, don't come on vacation and risk your life this way.

I just wonder if the cause of death was not having the helmet on. Most drivers on the island ride VERY carelessly
 

bronzeallspice

Live everyday like it's your last
Mar 26, 2012
11,009
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It could have been reckless driving by either one of them, but the point is, if she would've
worn a helmet,it could have saved her life.
 

mainegal

New member
May 22, 2012
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ah, don't you know that people come here for freedom? they need to wear helmets back home but in DR they can do as they please. and as long as they wear long pants it's fine, right?

caution: sarcasm
Not all states have helmet laws, in Maine those who ride decide. That being said, I do agree in DR a helmet should absolutely be worn because folks drive crazy. Unfortunately in many cases, even wearing a helmet sometimes is not enough to save your life.
 

suarezn

Gold
Feb 3, 2002
5,823
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While I agree that people SHOULD wear helmets I think if you're on a passola and get hit by a Jeepeta you're probably not going to survive that one.
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
4,329
113
Main road = yes, but not really fast moving traffic.... too busy in front of the store.

Big mismatch - Jeepeta and pasola, with or w/o a helmet..... helmet helps bigtime unless the car squashes you
 

sayanora

Silver
Feb 22, 2012
1,621
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48
Is the supermarket on the main highway? What would be the cause of most of these accidents?

The cause of these accidents are people not paying attention to their surroundings, the jeepeta driver can be on a cellphone and just look away for 2 seconds and veer right into a moto.. The moto driver can be talking on his phone and hits a rock on the street and lays down his bike and gets run over.. Cabarete is probably one of the most dangerous places that I've been to in the DR for motorcycles, the way this highway is made seems conducive to killing motorists. It's way too fast, too many curves where you are blinded, to get out of the Janet's parking lot you have to peek out into the main highway and someone might need to swerve to miss you but instead they swerve into a guy on a moto.. Accidents are inevitable here, in less than a year riding I've already had my first bad one when I broke my collarbone on the ride from Jarabacoa to La Vega.. I was drinking and had no helmet on and it was a huge wakeup call.
 

bri777

Bronze
Sep 11, 2010
1,008
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38
I too think that curve is very dangerous,people are zipping right thru coming from sabaneta doing 60/70mph
sorry to hear about another deadly accident
Manu
 

DR Mpe

Banned
Mar 31, 2003
1,191
36
48
Lady was killed in front of Janet's supermarket in Cabarete about an hour ago .. wasn't wearing her helmet on her pasola and a jeepeta came thru and smashed her.. This makes 14 accidents in 8 months involving motorists not wearing helmets that I've personally seen here in Cabarete.. The next tourist I see on a motorbike with no helmet on I'm pulling over and smacking directly in the mouth.. folks, don't come on vacation and risk your life this way.

Sad story, RIP.

Smashing gringos for not wearing helmet is probably not what needs to be done. How about some education for Dominican drivers? (some gringos also...) The way they drive in front of Janets... The carritos for instance, that pass by there 8-10 times a day, 70 km/h like maniacs when they KNOW that people and motoconchos are crossing the street, cars are pulling out from the parking lot, and school kids are right next to the road...

They have a cruzifix and a picture of Jesus and then the drive like idiots. But hey I have given up. It will not change.
 

sayanora

Silver
Feb 22, 2012
1,621
36
48
Sad story, RIP.

Smashing gringos for not wearing helmet is probably not what needs to be done. How about some education for Dominican drivers? (some gringos also...) The way they drive in front of Janets... The carritos for instance, that pass by there 8-10 times a day, 70 km/h like maniacs when they KNOW that people and motoconchos are crossing the street, cars are pulling out from the parking lot, and school kids are right next to the road...

They have a cruzifix and a picture of Jesus and then the drive like idiots. But hey I have given up. It will not change.

The best ones are "Dios me guia" vans.. basically saying God guides them.. so driving like that is their idea of God driving them? People just need to wear helmets, the driving style is not going to change anytime soon so you need to be protected.. I have a brother that would be dead right now if he wasn't wearing a helmet the last time he got in an accident.. A tiny fender bender for a car is easily fatal for a motorcycle, that's the problem.
 

Chip

Platinum
Jul 25, 2007
16,772
429
0
Santiago
I like to know what happened because I have a motorcycle as well. I do wear a helmet 90% of the time unless I'm going to the corner store. I have about 30,000 km here if not more over the last 6 years and have been to many places all over the island. Maybe I have been fortunate or I am very careful but I've not had any issues nor much less seen an accident. I also have had almost no close calls but admit I don't get on the fast highways very often, even though I've done long distance traveling on them before.
 
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DR Mpe

Banned
Mar 31, 2003
1,191
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The best ones are "Dios me guia" vans.. basically saying God guides them.. so driving like that is their idea of God driving them? People just need to wear helmets, the driving style is not going to change anytime soon so you need to be protected.. I have a brother that would be dead right now if he wasn't wearing a helmet the last time he got in an accident.. A tiny fender bender for a car is easily fatal for a motorcycle, that's the problem.

Well, fortunately the lady did not have 3 kids on the Pasola... As I said, I have given up when it comes to Dominicans and traffic. And I think it is up to anyone if they want to wear a helmet or not. Not sure if I prefer to be smashed by a jeep with a helmet or without one. Maybe better to move on to next life, than ending up in a clinic here.
 

cobraboy

Pro-Bono Demolition Hobbyist
Jul 24, 2004
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A small pasola should not pull out into traffic. They need to stay on the right shoulder, not into the street.
 

hammerdown

Bronze
Apr 29, 2005
1,466
107
63
Foreigners need to learn the rules of the road in this country. First and foremost, the bigger you are the more rules you get to make!!!! Pasolas and motos, are at the small end of the totem pole, but most foreigners think that they have all the same rights as the bigger vehicles, which, unfortunately doesn't work here.
I'm sorry to hear that someone died today, but it won't be the last person, unless people start to pay attention, and like the OP said.....wear a helmet.....on your head, not hanging on your arm......
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
0
chip, the reason is always stupidity. on the part of a moto and the driver, both. they go too fast or too slow, they do not look around or look around too much, they just do not pay attention.
cabarete is a ****ty place to drive as it is: the street is narrow, cars are parked on both sides, carros publicos stop without warning, cargo vans unloading obstruct the view, pedestrians walk into the street, people cross zig zagging in all directions...

i drove to cabarete only once, hit a truck full of cement block that stopped suddenly in front of me. took my right hand mirror clean off :(
 

zoomzx11

Gold
Jan 21, 2006
8,367
842
113
totally agee with dv8. The road thru Cabarete is very dangerous. Drivers go through Cabarete at very high speed on a regular basis. Laws will not help as most are ignored. That horrible road is a death trap. The only real solution is putting in big speed bumps. That is the only thing that slows drivers down in this country.
 

CFA123

Silver
May 29, 2004
3,512
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... and, of course, there's no visible interest from local gov't in identifying safety issues and taking action.

in fact, to the contrary.

on the other end of cabarete, at the entrance to el callejon de la loma there is another blind curve/4-way intersection with high speed travel, carro publico, guagua, and motoconcho stops, etc.
one of the developments offered to buy, install, and provide 24/7 power for a traffic light. the response from the local government? "pay us US$20,000 and we'll let you do it".

gotta love this country ;)