Dominican authorities have released road traffic accident statistics again, seeking to raise the awareness for safe driving at the start of the Easter Week holiday, the most traveled domestic holiday. Easter Week heavy traffic picks up on Wednesday afternoon through Sunday. In the last three years 5,527 people have died in road traffic accidents, with times such as Easter Week, Christmas, Carnival, public and school holidays showing the greatest numbers of deaths given the fact that a third of the populations travels by road on holiday or to visit family during these times.
According to the Program for the Reduction in Mortality in Traffic Accidents (Premat) last year the number of traffic deaths dropped by 20% due to the educational campaign launched by the government. But the Premat says that more than five people die every day in road traffic accidents. In 2017 alone around 110,000 persons suffered injuries in traffic accidents. Last year there were 1,588 deaths in traffic accidents, but tragically thousands of males, ages 10 to 39 years old, are maimed in the road mishaps and affected for life.
According to Premat director, Dr. Ramón Leonel Ureña, most of the deaths, around 70%, are due to the high speed, reckless driving and driving under the influence of alcohol. He went on to say that last Christmas, there were 33 deaths of which 15 were traffic accidents. Of those traffic accidents 14 were motorcyclists and one was a pedestrian. This was a 20% decrease on the previous Christmas period but he highlighted that the most vulnerable were those without protection with motorcyclists representing 67% of all traffic accident deaths and pedestrians 17%. Normal vehicles accounted for 11% and heavy goods vehicles 2%. Given the small number of cyclists, they only accounted for 1% of deaths.
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El Dia
El Dia
27 March 2018
