14ymedio, Havana, 2 July 2024 — The massive movement of travelers to beaches and vacation destinations in summer has kept the island’s traffic authorities on edge, who fear that the current economic crisis could influence the accident rate. This was acknowledged on the official Roundtable TV program by Roberto Rodríguez, the head of the Specialized Traffic Body of the Ministry of the Interior, who also admitted that the entity has not been able to “stop the deterioration of the roads and the signage.”
The military officer was pleased that the first half of this year had better indicators than the same period in 2023. According to him, there were 543 fewer accidents – a 13% drop – the number of deaths fell by 23% and the number of injuries by 5%. Likewise, the number of victims between 21 and 35 years old – 35% of those who died in accidents are in this age range – also fell, although Rodríguez did not offer specific figures in this case.
Rodriguez did not elaborate on the cause of the decrease in accidents, although it is possible that reduced vehicle traffic due to a lack of fuel is an important factor.
Among the main infractions, the military officer pointed out that 29% of the drivers involved in accidents did not have a driving license. “5,572 driving licenses have been revoked due to accumulation of points, debts, failure to update medical checks; 3,647 licenses were suspended and 422 were cancelled. For alcohol consumption, 633 licenses were suspended, 58 were cancelled due to repeat offenses and 88 police reports were filed for drunk driving,” he added.
The most notable factors are disrespect for the right of way, not keeping distance, not respecting pedestrian rights and other indisciplines.”
“The most notable factors are disrespect for the right of way, not keeping distance, not respecting pedestrian rights and other