Traffic crashes become first cause of death in Dominican Republic

Santo Domingo, Jun 27 (Prensa Latina) At least five people die every day in the Dominican Republic due to traffic accidents, becoming the first cause of death in the country, the General Directorate of Security of Transit and Land Transportation (DIGESETT) informed on Thursday.

June 27, 2024
16:38

Figures from that agency show that in the first quarter of 2024 alone, an estimated 578 people lost their lives in collisions, run-overs, or slides of light and heavy cars on highways, 29 percent more compared to a similar period of 2023.

DIGESETT reiterated that 90 percent of these events involve motorcycles, whose drivers are often observed without safety helmets and moving at full speed, even on sidewalks, among pedestrians.

The World Health Organization (WHO) informed that the Dominican Republic, a nation with some 11 million people, occupies the first position in the world due to traffic crashes, with 64.6 deaths per year per 100,000 inhabitants. Eighty-seven percent of those are men, and 13 percent are women.

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