7000 dead in five years...

RenatoSosua

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Nov 8, 2006
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Wow that's almost incredible... 7000 dead

here is the article:
Over 7000 people lost their lives in traffic accidents in the past five years (2004-2008) in the Dominican Republic, which has a mortality rate of traffic accident 30.4 per 100,000 inhabitants where the average for the region Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is set in 16.9.

Data supplied by the Directorate General of Land Transport (DGTT) and the National Statistics Office (ONE) indicate that from 2004 until July 2008 in the streets, avenues and Dominican roads 7042 people died.

In 2004 1370 people died ; 1367 in 2005, 1602 in 2006 and 1747 in 2007 and 956 until July 2008. With these figures as the country is placed second in the region with the highest rate of deaths from traffic accidents, in a list of 48 countries. Only El Salvador with a rate of 31.1 is above.

The National District and Santo Domingo province are areas where more accidents with injuries and deaths are recorded. In the reference years, these boundaries were 91,275 traffic accidents with 1860 fatalities.

Then the provinces of San Cristobal with 548 deaths, 397 in La Altagracia and Santiago with 366. La Vega and San Pedro with 253 deaths each.

San Juan continue the list with 240 deaths, with 234 Monsignor Nouel, Duarte 232, 204 Puerto Plata, La Romana 166; Azua 161; Peravia 150, 133 Valverde, Monte Plata 125, 118 Barahona, with Espaillat 112.

Little Caution

It is estimated that about 90% of accidents occur due to lack of caution. In addition, approximately 30% involved drivers between 14 and 30 years, this is the biggest cause of deaths in this population segment. Nearly 60% of driver's license holders are persons aged between 18 and 35 years as director of the detailed land transit, Tob?as Rafael Crespo, who suggests starting driver education begins in their early years of schooling.

source:
Hoy Digital
Accidentes tr?nsito provocan m?s de 7,000 muertes en s?lo cinco a?os - Hoy Digital
 

Hillbilly

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Jan 1, 2002
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Not to be doubted!! This weekend we managed to open about 56 new graves. Of these 60% were from accidents and 80% of those were motorcycle related..., so figure an average weekend will see, oh, I don't know,,,say 20 deaths x 48 weeks = 960 + the holiday tolls of Christmas and New Years and Easter Week, and you easily reach a thousand a year, then you add the big ones, like the bus accident out East last year, and 1500 a year seem reasonable.....

Remember, you do not have to know how to read and write to get a license, nor do you need a license to ride a motorcycle...."I didn't know..." is the universal excuse for any violation of driving courtesy or common sense...

HB
 

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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i find this number suspiciously low, 7000 is 5 years gives less than 4 a day, i would have thought that only in POP few kick the bucket daily...
 

ffritz

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Feb 7, 2008
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I looked at the accident figures prior to moving down here & was amazed to find that the per capita rate was only 3 times that in the "developed" world - i.e. Europe & america.

Given the lack of driver training & vehicle inspections that is fantastic!

Think about it - up there all vehicles go through some sort of annual inspection/maintenance, you can't even fart while driving without the authorities coming down on you like a ton of bricks & cars have more & bigger airbags than Pamela Anderson. Yet still the mortality rate is only 1/3 that in the DR.

Dominicans are truely fantastic drivers ....
 

AlterEgo

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Jan 9, 2009
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Not surprised

I don't doubt those figures at all - I have never in my life seen driving like Santo Domingo. Bear in mind that I was born in Manhattan and can drive there with one eye closed. Every time I go to the DR, probably 50-60 trips, it seems to get worse, and I always leave there absolutely amazed that I don't see more accidents. I leave the driving to my husband when we're there - when my kids were young I used to drive all over the capital. He gets into his Dominican mode when he drives there, and when we get home I invariably, usually on the way home from the airport, have to remind him that we're back in the USA now. :squareeye
 

Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
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I looked at the accident figures prior to moving down here & was amazed to find that the per capita rate was only 3 times that in the "developed" world - i.e. Europe & america.

Given the lack of driver training & vehicle inspections that is fantastic!

Think about it - up there all vehicles go through some sort of annual inspection/maintenance, you can't even fart while driving without the authorities coming down on you like a ton of bricks & cars have more & bigger airbags than Pamela Anderson. Yet still the mortality rate is only 1/3 that in the DR.

Dominicans are truely fantastic drivers ....

Good points. Mr C often says that considering how badly people drive there are actually remarkably few accidents. My Dad observed that traffic in Santo Domingo was like some sort of demented choreography where everyone managed to avoid each other - at least most of the time - despite making the most suicidal manoeuvres.
 

jalencastro

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Dec 15, 2004
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wow

...Dominican mode when he drives there, and when we get home I invariably, usually on the way home from the airport, have to remind him that we're back in the USA now. :squareeye

i feel the same way....it took me three trips to DR before i even attempted to drive there and even so each time have to adjust to more craziness on the roads! and yes, my wife sometimes catches me too when back in the states that i dont have to drive like a maniac anymore....i guess it's grown on me! LOL :eek:gre:
 

ExtremeR

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Mar 22, 2006
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Good points. Mr C often says that considering how badly people drive there are actually remarkably few accidents. My Dad observed that traffic in Santo Domingo was like some sort of demented choreography where everyone managed to avoid each other - at least most of the time - despite making the most suicidal manoeuvres.

Exactly, I remember in Vegas there was an accident almost daily in one of the main avenues, in Santo Domingo I only see an accident lets say one a month , for me they are very rare over here. Don't understand from when those high numbers come from, maybe they are counting motorcycles fatalities too of which it should be the majority.
 

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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i bless the fact that dominican roads are in such a bad shape. were they straight and well maintained like the ones in, say, germany there would be five times more accidents. so it happens that one cannot go very fast on any road here in fear of hitting the hole and breaking the car.
i do not know a single driver in DR who never had an accident (small scratches and bumps included).
my dad has nearly 50 years of driving experience without any accidents and with amazing ability of squeezing into places (car mechanic). i think he would laugh his head off in DR.
 

MrMike

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Mar 2, 2003
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Exactly, I remember in Vegas there was an accident almost daily in one of the main avenues, in Santo Domingo I only see an accident lets say one a month , for me they are very rare over here. Don't understand from when those high numbers come from, maybe they are counting motorcycles fatalities too of which it should be the majority.

Well, of course we are counting motorcycles. They are Motor Vehicles. Besides, most of the people who die in a motorcycle accident do so after crashing it into another larger vehicle.

Driving in the DR is statistically MUCH more dangerous than driving in the US.

New Jersey has about the same population as the DR. Jersey averages 450 traffic fatalities per year while the DR averages 1400.

AND there are a lot less vehicles in the DR. about 125 per 1,000 people compared to 750 per 1,000 people in New Jersey.
 

ExtremeR

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Mar 22, 2006
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Well, of course we are counting motorcycles. They are Motor Vehicles. Besides, most of the people who die in a motorcycle accident do so after crashing it into another larger vehicle.

Driving in the DR is statistically MUCH more dangerous than driving in the US.

New Jersey has about the same population as the DR. Jersey averages 450 traffic fatalities per year while the DR averages 1400.

AND there are a lot less vehicles in the DR. about 125 per 1,000 people compared to 750 per 1,000 people in New Jersey.

How many motorcycles are in Jersey again???

How about we count the numbers of accidents instead of the numbers of fatalitites??
 

Chip

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Jul 25, 2007
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As the statistics show, by far the majority of the accidents and deaths are motorcycle related. Typically most occur at night or during the holidays and you can expect lack of visiblity of the bikes is a problem in addition to the fact that everyone is usually drunk at that time and you have a volatile mix. Plus Dominicans don't like to use helmets mostly because they find them ugly.
 

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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one of the motoconchistas from parada in front of our house has a helmet with quite crude picture on a back of it: the brain spilling out from an open skull.
very appropriate, i think.
 

amparocorp

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Aug 11, 2002
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the number is probably higher, and, could the number be high due to lack of emergency medical services? dominicans do not get out of the way for ambulances, idiots. also how many die weeks after the accident and don't get reported as accident deaths? last but not least, not everybody dies so there must be a huge number of maimed and injured.............how many dead from marijuana overdose? spend no money on education, keep people stupid and uninformed, that way the real criminals will be in the large safe jeepetas and running the show.
 

cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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As the statistics show, by far the majority of the accidents and deaths are motorcycle related. Typically most occur at night or during the holidays and you can expect lack of visiblity of the bikes is a problem in addition to the fact that everyone is usually drunk at that time and you have a volatile mix. Plus Dominicans don't like to use helmets mostly because they find them ugly.
This is true.

An interesting stat: motorcycles in the DR are 7 times more prevalent than in the states.

I cannot account for the driving habits of Dominican moto drivers. I CAN say this after over 30,000 miles of riding all over the DR except the major population centers: by exercising common sense riding practices and techniques every one of our tour riders think the DR is a safer riding environment than the states. And these are highly experienced riders, some being Motorcycle Safety Foundation instructors.

Gear up (DOT/Snell helmet/faceshield, protective jacket and pants, and over-the-ankle boots), accept the Dominican unwritten rules of the road, never ride while drinking OR at night, and the DR is an awesome place to ride a motorcycle.

You subtract the young dumbasses who ride sans helmet, popping wheelies on their pasola in traffic, swilling Presidente or Brugal while riding, riding at night with no lights wearing dark clothing and generally act the fool, and the negative stats go way down.
 

Yayow

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Sep 4, 2007
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Don't forget....

Well the statistic stated traffic related accidents, which doesn't mean statistically unless they keep statistics differently here, necessarily just motor vehicles, what I mean is pedestrians who are struck by a car, bus, moto also go into the stats.

You would know what I mean if you have ever observed pedestrians trying to cross some of these roads down here, an extremely dangerous process, probably made even more dangerous at night.