at least 5 dead in an accident on sosua-cabarete road

zoomzx11

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Jan 21, 2006
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The carro publicos race from Sosua to PP. The idea is to beat out the competition to the next fare. As a result they speed, pass on blind corners and pull out in front of traffic. Accidents on this stretch are inevitable. With the increase in gas consumption, wear and tear on the cars and risks they probably do not make one peso more for all their effort. Dominicans do not understand gas mileage and that cars burn lots more gas with speed, fast acceleration and going up hills. All the highways are dangerous but this one is especially bad and its not the design of the road its strictly the insane driving behaviors
 

the gorgon

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Sep 16, 2010
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The carro publicos race from Sosua to PP. The idea is to beat out the competition to the next fare. As a result they speed, pass on blind corners and pull out in front of traffic. Accidents on this stretch are inevitable. With the increase in gas consumption, wear and tear on the cars and risks they probably do not make one peso more for all their effort. Dominicans do not understand gas mileage and that cars burn lots more gas with speed, fast acceleration and going up hills. All the highways are dangerous but this one is especially bad and its not the design of the road its strictly the insane driving behaviors

i am not going to look only at the abominable driving habits, but the transportation paradigms. first of all, Toyota Corollas were not designed for 6 passengers. these cabs take 2 people in the front passenger seat, and 4 in the back. it does not matter if they are 4 skinnies or 4 fatties. 6 people. therefore, the front passengers have no seat belts, and they are virtually sitting on top of each other. small crash, big damage.

the government should regulate this foolishness, but they do not have the political will, because they would be harming the earning power of the padres de familia. they prefer to watch people dying by the half dozen instead.
 

zoomzx11

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Jan 21, 2006
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Interesting that this is at 6 am and between a Toyota and a Peugeot. Too early to be drunk. Not many other cars to be passed. Fall asleep in the Peugeot perhaps and drift over the center lane. Head on crashes with no restraints are often fatalities. 5 dead and several injured. Be willing to wager the several survivors were wearing restraints. Another Dominican highway tragedy. Sad. Condolences to the families.
 

zoomzx11

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Jan 21, 2006
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The government, what government? I do not even think politicans even have a preference as they are too busy stealing. If you could come up with a way for the politicans to make money by regulation it will be a go, otherwise nothing will happen. btw, even if the carros have seat belts do you really think they would go to the trouble of putting them on. First off you have to find it. Then clean it off as its been lying under the seat or on the floor for years and is filthy. I think I have seen on dr1 where the government has radar guns and now gives out tickets for speeding. Where are they?
 

the gorgon

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Sep 16, 2010
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The government, what government? I do not even think politicans even have a preference as they are too busy stealing. If you could come up with a way for the politicans to make money by regulation it will be a go, otherwise nothing will happen. btw, even if the carros have seat belts do you really think they would go to the trouble of putting them on. First off you have to find it. Then clean it off as its been lying under the seat or on the floor for years and is filthy. I think I have seen on dr1 where the government has radar guns and now gives out tickets for speeding. Where are they?

zoom, you are absolutely right about everything you say. most telling, the seat belts would be just too much of a pain to employ, since the passengers might get dust on their precious Aeropostale chinese knock off shirts.
 
So many incidents in front of Costa Azul. I don't understand why. It is just straight road. Very sad.

there is very little room for the motos to fit on the right hand side of the road there and also with people passing there is less room to make 4 lanes outta 2.
It is an EXTREMELY dangerous area, my least fav part of the bad 5 min stretch is right outside CA.
The taxis stopping at a seconds notice for La Cienega are also a bloody disaster!
 

jd426

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Dec 12, 2009
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Very sorry to hear of this Tragedy... Rest in Peace, and Condolences to the families and friends.
 

zoomzx11

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Jan 21, 2006
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Not entirely their fault that they do not wear the belts. They just do not know they are lifesavers, lack of education. I was a firefighter paramedic for 25 years. Saw my share of car wrecks. Vast majority of seat belt wearers were uninjured. The times they were hurt were high speed wrecks and t bones into the driver side door usually at intersections. Just like you said, a carro publico loaded to the brim with as many as you can stuff in is a recipe for disaster. Very sad that most just have no idea of the danger and are really just innocent victims. I have no idea why but most latin countries drive the same way. Machismo maybe.
 

the gorgon

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Sep 16, 2010
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Not entirely their fault that they do not wear the belts. They just do not know they are lifesavers, lack of education. I was a firefighter paramedic for 25 years. Saw my share of car wrecks. Vast majority of seat belt wearers were uninjured. The times they were hurt were high speed wrecks and t bones into the driver side door usually at intersections. Just like you said, a carro publico loaded to the brim with as many as you can stuff in is a recipe for disaster. Very sad that most just have no idea of the danger and are really just innocent victims. I have no idea why but most latin countries drive the same way. Machismo maybe.

i got on a minibus once that goes from POP to Rio San Juan. when it was completely full, the driver started rolling off, and the sliding door was still open. i asked him if he planned to drive with the door like that, and he said that he did. so, i told him to stop and let me off right there. everybody looked at me as if i was some kind of looney troublemaker, but that is ok too. the poor guys in that bus are so unevolved, it is yet to dawn upon them that if there was any kind of emergency, six guys would go flying out the doors onto the pavement. it is like a bunch of children on a merry go round.

thse things will never stop happening until people get to a point in their thinking where they understand that vehicles are not toys.
 

zoomzx11

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Jan 21, 2006
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Jumbos pic looks like the same wreck. Just getting the bodies out is a big job without a Hurst Tool. Good example of a high speed wreck. Takes a lot of force to turn a car into a block of scrap metal like this.
 

zoomzx11

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Jan 21, 2006
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I see those mini buses running with the sliding door open and the "conductor" hanging out in the breeze. I never rode one and never thought about it but that is exactly what would happen. Kinda like a pick up truck with about a dozen people riding in the back. Even a small accident they are like bowling pins. Whenever we take a taxi we are always the only occupants. Wife will not ride in a publico with me, says I complain too much. Not true although in the taxi the first thing is the music has to go off and I tell him to slow down. Even if he is not speeding at that moment he will shortly. The word victim is not in my future if I have any say in the matter. Dont mind dying just dying needlessly.
 

the gorgon

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Sep 16, 2010
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I see those mini buses running with the sliding door open and the "conductor" hanging out in the breeze. I never rode one and never thought about it but that is exactly what would happen. Kinda like a pick up truck with about a dozen people riding in the back. Even a small accident they are like bowling pins. Whenever we take a taxi we are always the only occupants. Wife will not ride in a publico with me, says I complain too much. Not true although in the taxi the first thing is the music has to go off and I tell him to slow down. Even if he is not speeding at that moment he will shortly. The word victim is not in my future if I have any say in the matter. Dont mind dying just dying needlessly.

i got on a car from Navarette to POP once, and the guy was diving like a lunatic. every time he went around a corner, you heard the tires rubbing on the fender. i told him to stop and let me out after about two miles. he asked me what was my problem, and i asked him if he had ever considered the possibility of the wheel arch cutting a tire, causing a blowout, and a subsequent wreck.

he told me that if that was going to happen it would have happened a long time ago, because it has been doing that for weeks.

he let me out.