MommC--as always you are wealth of info. Every 7-10 days!?? OMG, that is insane. We used to live RIGHT next to the I405 & 10 freeways in LA, CA and every day we heard screeching crashing (many days more than once and a series of sequential pile-ups.) Are you able to hear the collisions as well as see them?
dv8--As for the motos and blaming the Dominicans... I have to ask "What choice do most of these people have?" Most see the motos as a fact of life and have never seen anything different. The concept of saving to buy as used bike (which without a helmet would probably be almost as dangerous although somewhat more within their control) is a tough sell (I've tried). The lack of helmet use and overloading of these vehicles DOES disturb me terribly, but there is clearly a cultural consensus here that motos are a "necessary evil."
We freaked out when we found out our 17 year old had been taking motoconchos while he was living as a volunteer at the NPH orphanage last summer. Of course, being 17 and "invincible" he didn't understand. I think this speaks to what happens here. People grow up riding these death traps and don't have many options. Because helmets are not part of the cultural expectation and norm, plus they are an added expense, they aren't worn. The highway is exceptionally dangerous given the two way, high speed traffic (on each side it's supposed to be one-way, but really it's two way for those who haven't been here), unregulated intersections, drinking & driving, disrepair of vehicles, and general recklessness on the part of drivers.
I will say that I have actually had motos HIT me while everyone was standing still in traffic (including the moto initially). On one occasion in SPM, we were all backed up on Duarte and this moto drove into me from a standstill position (where I had been stuck behind another vehicle at a standstill). Then he asked for money...to which I replied "Let's go to the police." Of course he smiled and walked back to his pesola. Oye!
irate:!