Between noon on Sunday, 23 December and the early hours of yesterday, Tuesday 25 December, 17 people lost their lives in several incidents that took place over the Christmas holidays. The Emergency Operations Center (COE), in its Bulletin #2, noted that a total of 216 people were involved in incidents that were covered by the preventive operations that this year were named “For Common Unity 2012-2013”.
The fatalities, all of which occurred in traffic accidents, included two pedestrians who were hit by vehicles and eight motorcycle riders. In total, 118 accidents were reported, causing injuries to 133 people and, as is the case every year, the highest number involved motorcycles, 60 in all, or slightly over half of all accidents, including the eight fatalities.
Nonetheless, according to the COE director, General Juan Manuel Mendez Garcia, the percentages show a reduction in cases involving this type of transportation. This is because the numbers were higher in former years. He told Diario Libre: “We have not achieved a great deal on this count, but we have come down some 15% in these cases.”
As part of the steps taken by the entities that make up the COE, 22 in total, the Metropolitan Transport Authority (AMET) seized 303 vehicles, 147 of them were heavy goods vehicles that were prohibited from going out from 23 December until 6pm yesterday evening, Tuesday 25 December. AMET cops also seized 155 motorcycles and one car.