A staggering 70% of motorcyclists in the Dominican Republic fail their written driver’s test on the first attempt, according to new data from the National Institute of Transit and Land Transportation (Intrant). Milton Morrison, director of Intrant, shared the figure in an interview with Diario Libre.
The figures confirm a harsh reality clear to anyone driving in the Dominican Republic. The vast majority of motorcyclists blatantly violate the rules of the road. For decades, authorities have allowed motorcyclists to do so, so these have not had any need to learn the rules.
The revelation now comes following the implementation of a new licensing system launched on 2 March 2026. Motorcyclists are being encouraged to get their licenses.
Under the direction of Milton Morrison, Intrant has replaced previous shortcuts with a stringent four-step process:
• A mandatory 45-minute road safety lecture.
• A comprehensive theoretical exam on traffic laws.
• A practical driving evaluation.
• Mandatory vision and hearing screenings.
Ignorance of the basics
According to Morrison, the high failure rate is driven by a lack of knowledge regarding pedestrian rights, proper helmet usage, road signage, and basic circulation hierarchy. “A large portion of motorcyclists fail to pass the exam on their first try,” Morrison stated, noting that the data underscores a deep-seated educational gap within the transit sector.
The testing crisis is only half of the story. Intrant estimates that an incredible 99.5% of motorcyclists currently operating in the country do so without a Category 1 license, the legal requirement for two-wheeled vehicles.
This massive “underground” driving population has recently flooded licensing centers at Megacentro, Sambil, and Multicentro Churchill following announcements of increased roadside inspections and enforcement. This surge in demand has quadrupled normal application volumes, leading to significant delays and long queues.
Cyberattacks and system strains
The transition to the new system has not been seamless. Beyond the physical crowds, Intrant officials reported a sophisticated cyberattack involving “bots” that generated over 5,000 fraudulent appointments. Investigators traced approximately 4,500 of these requests to IP addresses in the United Kingdom.
While cybersecurity teams have since stabilized the platform, Intrant has shifted exclusively to a virtual appointment system to manage the overflow of citizens finally seeking to legalize their status on the road.
The challenge ahead for anyone seeking to organize the sector after decades of governmental negligence is enormous. According to the latest preliminary data from the Tax Agency (DGII), there are 3,804,219 motorcycles registered in the Dominican Republic as of early 2026. This figure represents a significant increase from the previous year, as 270,801 new motorcycles were added to the registry throughout 2025 alone.
To put the scale of the “motoconcho” and motorcycle culture into perspective, motorcycles now make up approximately 58% of the country’s entire vehicle fleet, which recently surpassed 6.6 million units. Given that motorcyclists are also responsible for an estimated 80% of traffic accidents, the challenge of educating these and enforcing traffic rules should be a national priority.
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Diario Libre
12 March 2026