Hoy newspaper story reports that the number of vehicles in circulation in the DR has increased 150% in the past four years. Dr. Nazaret Hasbún said the increase in vehicles is the cause of the accidents and traffic bottlenecks that affect Dominican cities today. Deputy Minister of Public Health and coordinator of the Natonal Plan for the Reduction of Deaths for Traffic Accidents (Plan-Remat), Dr. Hasbún said in the DR there are 30 vehicles per highway kilometer. This compares to 25/highway kilometer in the US. He said lack of drivers education is also to blame for many of the traffic accidents. He said that most of the persons purchasing vehicles in the past four years come from population segments with lower incomes and less education. Many of these persons have not made the effort to become thoroughly familiar with traffic rules, even traffic signals. He said there is a lack of courtesy on the road and a general attitude regarding each driver’s responsibilities on the road. In the DR in 1999 there were 3,014 deaths in traffic accidents, and an estimated 50,000 persons suffered injuries. This is up from 1,253 deaths in 1990.
