Photo: Liveleak
Back in August 2013 I ran a piece on the deadliest countries, judging by the number of road-related deaths and the Dominican Republic was the leader of this dark charts. Well, not in absolute terms as the highest number of deaths per 100,000 inhabitants was recorded in the Pacific island of Niue, and only because of the 1,400-strong local population.
With a whopping 42 death per 100,000 inhabitants, the Dominican Republic leads the US by almost 400%, but watching this video kind of explains the situation, at least partially. Among the most important factors which determine the very high death toll, the World Health Organization names the “over-crowded motorcycles and scooters with up to five persons aboard, children, animals and other scooters or bicycles included, very bad road conditions, hundreds of abandoned cars and trucks, failing to stop at the red light.”
Couple this with the absence of traffic signs and lights in many intersections, zero road safety education and in many cases, the absence of a driving permit or any basic form of protection for the riders, and failing to obey even the common-sense road regulations, and you can try to imagine what driving or riding in the Dominican Republic is like.
Unfortunately, people seem the believe that this is the natural order of things and each day they make it back home in once piece is a victory against odds. And this is sad, really sad.
Couple this with the absence of traffic signs and lights in many intersections, zero road safety education and in many cases, the absence of a driving permit or any basic form of protection for the riders, and failing to obey even the common-sense road regulations, and you can try to imagine what driving or riding in the Dominican Republic is like.
Unfortunately, people seem the believe that this is the natural order of things and each day they make it back home in once piece is a victory against odds. And this is sad, really sad.
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