Policing and Administration of Traffic and Transit Rules
Even if they pay them 4 times what they are making now, do you really think that will make police less corrupt? A country where restaurants charge 1000 pesos for a hamburger fries and a drink and police make 8000 pesos a month! Really??? Some things just can't be fixed. I truly hope that it will improve but I have seen no change with substance over the years I have been here.
Taking a case to court is a death sentence in itself. There is no justice, no conclusion, just money, money money for years!
Maybe that explains why people here go to the bar for a drink and order a bottle instead of just a drink! 
I suspect we all will believe what is stated in the article below in Diario Libre this morning.
Nothing significant has been done for decades over the appalling driving and accident situation in DR. Dominicans on the whole don't care, except when an accident happens affecting them, and want to be allowed to continue driving they way they have been allowed. Governments and government bodies have lacked any serious commitment to do anything about this problem.
Not only do Intrant and Digisett need to be given more resources and people, but also MOPC need to address some of the dangerous road situations like the crossing points and speed limits on main highways. And the there is education and enforcement of basic rules such as registration, licensing, insurance, vehicle inspections, alcohol use, etc etc etc.
Without the population on board it will be difficult. Most don't care.
A study carried out by the International Highway Assessment Program ( iRAP ), a road safety rating agency, revealed that the probability of having an accident, resulting in death or serious injury on the country's three main trunk roads is 78%, in the South Corridor ; 74.4% for the Duarte Highway and 40% on the main road in the Eastern region.
The study "Information Gathering for the Evaluation of the Three Road Corridors Under the iRAP Methodology " was carried out in March 2021 by technicians specialized in road evaluation, from the International Road Assessment Program ( iRAP ), the Ministry of Public Works with the support of the Inter-American Development Bank ( IDB ) and the United Nations Organization ( UN ).
Among the objectives of the evaluation was to reduce the number of deaths due to traffic accidents and serious injuries , provide an investment strategy to improve the safety of the roads and promote a design or investment that allows anticipating the possible errors of the users that cause the accidents.
To make the diagnosis, a special vehicle equipped with 360-degree cameras and artificial intelligence was used to survey the conditions of the roads every 20 meters in aspects such as speed, lighting, storm drainage, pavement roughness, slopes, signage, railings. , illegal crossings, among others.
Deficiencies were detected in most of these parameters and in some cases total absence. Aspects such as speed, lack of "milling" or improvement of the paving in some sections, inadequate signage both vertically and horizontally, and poor layout were identified.
Added to all this are other components, such as reckless driving due to poor driver education, driving under the influence of alcohol or other illegal substances, lack of reducers near schools and other places where many people go, lack of pedestrian and motorcycle bridges. .
The three main corridors of the country ( ILLUSTRATION BY LYANN REYES )
The Duarte Highway from the National District to Montecristi, a region where 60% of the country's total population lives in 14 provinces, was taken as a pilot. In that route alone, 1,132 illegal occupations were identified on the road and 161 illegal crossings where the largest number of accidents occurs.
The project contemplated a journey of 751.37 kilometers in the outward direction that covered 15 of the 31 provinces. From Santo Domingo to Pedernales, which is approximately 296.63 kilometers; Santo Domingo to Montecristi, 268.39 kilometers and from Santo Domingo to Punta Cana, approximately 186.32 kilometers and as a result of the investigation the roads are rated by stars from 1 to 5 stars. Neither way reaches 4 or 5.
In the Southern Corridor, 28 sections with 9 roadways were studied for a total of 344.87 kilometers; In the case of the North, 51 sections were analyzed and diagnosed divided into two stages: Navarrete Montecristi 28 sections and Santo Domingo Navarrete 23 sections with 23 roadways, while the East was divided into 12 sections, all defined by national regulations between cities, major intersections or section changes.
The rating given by the iRAP experts was 1 and 2 stars for the North Corridor ; 1 and 2 stars for the South road, as well as 2 and 3 stars for the East road. The authorities carry out improvement projects so that the country has at least three stars according to the iRAP parameters .
Some Statistics
Information collected from 2016 to 2019 shows the number of deaths due to traffic accidents in the three corridors studied.
On the South highway, 371 people died in traffic accidents in those three years, on the North corridor 1007 and for the East, the figure was 410 deaths, in the same period. The World Health Organization (WHO) for the year 2018 estimated deaths in traffic accidents at 34.6 per 100,000 inhabitants.
“The data is revealing, worrying. What iRAP does is that it gives you a category per section that qualifies and classifies the road between one and five stars. When all this information indicating the number of stars, the level of safety and the probability of suffering a traffic accident was processed, we realized that the problem was very serious”, explained engineer Onéximo González , general advisor to the Minister of Works . Public , Deligne Ascención , and one of those responsible for the project.
González, who was director general of the former Metropolitan Transportation Authority (AMET) from 2000 to 2002, said that during a period of six months, international experts and specialists in highway safety programs, stationed in the United States, Europe and America, they studied the corridors and determined the high level of danger of the main road networks in the country.
"We have achieved that the Government of the President of the Republic, Luis Abinader , has the safety of our highways on its national agenda, as a highly important issue," he said. It was for this reason that the president appointed the Minister of Public Works , Deligne Ascención as head of the delegation to represent the country before the High-Level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on Global Road Safety, held earlier this month. at the organization's headquarters. Through the official and the delegation that accompanied him, the Government promised to continue working “enthusiastically” to meet the goal of reducing deaths from traffic accidents by 50% by 2030.
Numbers and Deaths
The Dominican Republic ranked fifth in the world for deaths from traffic accidents and second in the Americas region, but according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO) it now ranks first in the world with 64.6 deaths per year per 100,000 inhabitants.
According to Oneximo González , supported by data provided by the WHO and national research, between 3,400 and 4,000 people die each year on the country's streets, highways, highways, and local roads, most of them are people aged between 15 and 29 years old and, in addition to mourning, they leave economic losses estimated at three billion dollars, equivalent to 2.5% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The largest number of victims are motorcyclists, of the 5,152,448 vehicle units registered by the General Directorate of Internal Taxes (DGII), 2,874,590 are motorcycles for 55.8% of the vehicle fleet.
The provinces with the highest number of traffic accidents resulting in deaths or permanent injuries are: Santo Domingo, San Cristóbal, Santiago, La Vega, Azua, La Altagracia, Peravia, Puerto Plata, Monte Plata and the National District.
What is Done
Based on the results of the iRAP investigation and on the precise instructions of President Luis Abinader , the Government intends to reduce, at least by half, the number of deaths due to traffic accidents in the country.
The intervention of the roads was declared of "high necessity", starting with the North Corridor , from kilometer 9 of the Duarte Highway to Montecristi.
From La Vega to Santiago, 42 crossings have already been closed and others are being worked on. From the heart city to Navarrete, the road will be fully paved with the support of the General Directorate of Traffic Safety and Land Transportation (Digesett) and the Military and Police Commission. of the Ministry of Public Works (Comipol).
"Navarrete-Montecristi is an intervention project of about 44 million dollars that will be financed by the IDB as part of the financing of the port of Manzanillo," González said.
The Corredor Norte project involves the total reconstruction of the Duarte Highway from kilometer 9 to Santiago. From 9 to kilometer 28 of the Duarte, a coordinated plan is being executed with the Intrant with financing of 20 million dollars that contemplates improving road safety in school environments.
In the case of the highways of the South, the 6 de Noviembre and the Sánchez, illegal accesses have been closed and with the support of the Inter-American Development Bank ( IDB ) a plan of concrete actions will be made to install the pedestrian and motorized crossings that are needed. .
The UN supports a plan with a donation of 360,000 dollars for the training of professionals in universities so that engineers become “road safety auditors”, specialized in the application of technology with programs such as iRAP .
For the East, the works are completed from the toll of Las Américas to Boca Chica, the most dangerous section, according to González.
Investment Plan
To make trunk roads safer and achieve at least 3 stars through the iRAP mechanism based on the action pillars of institutionality, infrastructure, safer vehicles, safer road users and responses after accidents, an investment plan is required. .
For the interventions in the South Corridor , the results of the iRAP analysis show that the investment required is RD$2,018,000,000 in security treatment that would prevent 26,268 deaths and serious injuries in 20 years and the economic benefit for the country would be around RD$9,177,000.
In the case of the North Corridor , it would be RD$18,251,000,000 and in the same period it would prevent 79,920 deaths and serious injuries , which economically would represent a benefit worth RD$237,340,000,000.
For the East Corridor, the investment is around RD$2,958,000,000 in security treatment that would prevent 27,655 deaths and serious injuries in 20 years, which economically have an estimated value of RD$82,127.
Articles to help you in your expat project in Dominican Republic
Working in the Dominican Republic
If you are looking for a job in the Dominican Republic (DR), here are some tips and suggestions. Job hunting can ...
Dating in the Dominican Republic
Just like anywhere else in the world, people in the Dominican Republic want to find love, their significant other, ...
Education in the Dominican Republic
This article will cover the Dominican Republic's educational system, including public schools attended by 80% ...
Driving in the Dominican Republic
What is driving like in the Dominican Republic and how do you obtain a driving license? Find out all about it in ...
Setting up a business in the Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic has indeed been attracting foreign investment over the past few decades, with notable ...
The healthcare system in the Dominican Republic
If you are moving to the Dominican Republic, one of your primary concerns is likely to be the healthcare system ...
Death in the Dominican Republic
What customs and procedures are common when dealing with death in the Dominican Republic? Find more about it in ...
Divorce in the Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic offers a number of types of divorce, the most common of which are divorce by mutual consent ...
Open a bank account that suits you
Discover the best international banks to manage your money securely.