Despite the government sending over 48,000 men and women into the streets and highways to prevent tragic happenings, this holiday season has again been very deadly. The government effort is called “Christmas and New Year’s Awareness of Life 2025-2026” and is being manned by thousands of volunteers and members of the armed services and the National Police. Over 1,000 aid stations have been located around the country. Just like during Easter Week, these aid stations are supported by hundreds of ambulances, dozens of rescue trucks and mobile workshops, and even two triage centers and three helicopters.
In the very first bulletin, the Center for Emergency Operations (COE) reported three fatalities, 26 accidents and more than 30 injured, just hours after the operation began. The second bulletin came just after Christmas Eve, and the numbers climbed: six fatalities, 63 accidents and 131 persons treated for alcoholic poisoning. There were 86 persons injured in the accidents, which involved motorcycles in 76%ofthe cases. Half of the deceased were victims of motorcycle accidents. At the end of the first phase of the safety operation, the COE announced that a total of 11 persons had perished in 118 accidents 80% of which were motorcycles.
Curiously, most of the fatalities occurred outside of the areas being patrolled by the different agencies collaborating with Operation Life Awareness. However, there was a slight (8%) reduction in fatalities over the same period last year. Over the 48-hour period of this first phase, there were 131 cases of alcohol intoxication treated by the medical personnel working in the operation.
The outcome of the operation for the previous Christmas holiday ended with nine fatalities, 89 traffic accidents, and 181 cases of alcohol intoxication. The figure that notably includes ten minors between the ages of three and 17, Diario Libre reported.
The Emergency Operations Center (COE) released these statistics as part of the “Conscience for Life” (Conciencia por la Vida) holiday safety operation, which began on 23 December 2025 at 2pm and concluded at 6pm on 25 December. Officials recorded 116 people injured in road incidents, with motorcycles continuing to be the primary risk factor on the country’s roadways.
Of the nine reported fatalities, three occurred within the safety operation’s designated timeline – 23 December to 25 December — while six took place outside of it. The fatal incidents involved four motorcycles, four light vehicles, and one pedestrian collision. In addition to traffic casualties, the combined COE bulletins reported 43 cases of food poisoning, though no deaths were attributed to this cause within the first 48 hours of the operation.
The National District and the provinces of Santo Domingo, San Cristóbal, San Pedro de Macorís, Duarte, and Sánchez Ramírez reported the highest concentration of accidents and fatalities.
In the public health sector, the National Health Service (SNS) attended to 828 patients within the hospital network. Authorities highlighted that, fortunately, no cases of burns resulting from fireworks were recorded this year.
Agencies participating in the holiday deployment performed 15,679 acts of public assistance. The General Traffic Safety and Land Transportation Agency (Digesett) was particularly active, issuing 13,181 citations for violations of Traffic Law 63-17.
The most frequent infractions included:
• 3,387 motorcyclists riding without helmets.
• 1,325 cases of driving without a license or with an expired license.
• 1,041 violations for running red lights.
• 988 vehicles circulating without insurance.
• 710 vehicles circulating without lights.
Furthermore, authorities impounded 1,006 motorcycles, 306 light vehicles, and 410 heavy cargo vehicles operating without the necessary permits.
By comparison, during the same period in 2024, the COE reported six traffic fatalities and 73 cases of alcohol intoxication. Additionally, the SNS had reported treating 21 minors for alcohol intoxication during the Christmas holidays last year, compared to the ten reported in this bulletin.
The New Year’s safety operation begins at 2pm on 30 December and ends on 1 January 2026 at 6pm.
Read more in Spanish:
Listin Diario
Listin Diario
Listin Diario
Listin Diario
Diario Libre
Diario Libre
El Caribe
El Caribe
El Caribe
29 December 2025