70% of Cuban provinces increased in accidents in 2021, according to data from the National Road Safety Commission, which warns of an increase in motorcycles that can cause more traffic accidents. In Havana, Matanzas, Sancti Spíritus and Ciego de Ávila not only the incidents grew, but also the wounded and the deceased, while Guantánamo reduced all three indicators.
The authorities offered the final balance of accidents last year, which amounted to 8,369. There were also 589 deaths and 5,859 injuries, good news for Reinaldo Becerra Acosta, secretary of the CNSV, who stressed that the downward trend has continued in the last 10 years.
There were barely 15 fewer deaths than the last year considered normal mobility, since the last two the pandemic forced restrictive measures that also reduced circulation to a minimum.
In 2020, the accident rate has already dropped compared to the previous year, 2019, when there were 9,421 accidents that caused 606 deaths and 6,992 injuries. However, in 2021 there were barely 15 fewer deaths than the last year considered normal mobility, since the last two the pandemic forced restrictive measures that also reduced circulation to a minimum.
According to data from the body responsible for transit, 64.7% of the accidents occurred in urban areas and, of these, 53% in residential areas. The largest share of those affected is among young people between 16 and 35 years of age, who represent 37.8% of those involved in accidents, while between 46 and 55 there is another large block, with 20.8% of the total.
The collision of vehicles continues to be the incident that causes the most accidents, with 52.9% of claims and 42.7% of victims, but the collision of pedestrians is the one that leaves the most deaths, with 21% of the total, one out of six.
The authorities once again attribute responsibility to the human factor, which is responsible for 94.2% of accidents while “only 5.8% was due to technical failure.” However, the error persists of ignoring that a modern vehicle and healthy roads minimize accidents and, consequently, victims.
Nights and weekends continue to concentrate the majority of accidents, with 19% between 6 and 9 p.m., and 31.7% of accidents and 36% of deaths for Fridays and Saturdays.
The details have been published by the official press one day after a traffic accident involving a bus from the Transtur company left 17 injured, including a child under 3 years old, and no deaths. The accident occurred at kilometer 204 of the National Highway in Cienfuegos, near Cartagena, in the municipality of Rodas and all the passengers were Cubans, coming from Holguín, Camagüey and Havana.
The island’s mobile fleet has grown by 1.7% in the last five years and, in particular, the registration of motorcycles and mopeds accounted for 5.5% more vehicles on the roads
The CNSV undertook to launch different mechanisms to continue improving the bad accident data, although there was nothing new to give rise to hope in this regard, since most are sanctions, increased controls and fines for offenders, but the works of announced improvements are insufficient for the poor condition of the roads and streets of the Island.
The island’s mobile fleet has grown by 1.7% in the last five years and, in particular, the registration of motorcycles and mopeds accounted for 5.5% more vehicles on the roads.
Becerra Alonso estimated at 350,000 the vehicles that will be added this 2022 after adding the latter, in addition to the 100,000 that will be added with the process of homologation of vehicles “assembled by unauthorized parts or transformations.”
“This will negatively influence traffic and road safety, increasing congestion and the probability of accidents occurring, also due to the vulnerability of these media,” Becerra Alonso warned in advance.
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