The Dominican Republic heads the list of countries with the highest death rate from traffic accidents per year in the world, according to statistics from the World Health Organizationwhich was released by the international portal CNN en Español.
According to updated data from the WHO for 2020-2021, there are five countries in Africa and Latin America that lead the ranking of the highest number of fatal accidents on streets, highways and highways.
In the Dominican Republic, annual deaths from traffic accidents around 3,000 people, according to the WHO.
More than half of these deaths worldwide correspond to pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, the so-called “vulnerable road users”.
Most affected groups
The Dominican Republic ranks first with 64.6 deaths per year per hundred thousand inhabitants, of which 87 percent correspond to men while 13 percent of the victims are women.
The international chain highlighted that about 60 percent of those affected are young people between 15 and 34 years old.
The WHO list is completed by Zimbabwe in second place, with 41 deaths; Venezuela in third place, with 39 deaths; Liberia with 38.9 deaths is in fourth place; and Eritrea, with 37.9 deaths per hundred thousand inhabitants.
According to the WHO, the main cause of death in young people between the ages of 15 and 29 is traffic accidentsas stated in its Report on the world situation of road safety, of 2018, which, on the other hand, continue to increase.
Campaign
Referring to the figures published by the WHO, Dr. Julio Landrón, director of the Dr. Ney Arias Lora Trauma Hospital, said that it is necessary to educate the population about respecting traffic laws, use of seat belts, use of protective helmet, do not test while driving and do not drink alcohol.
He said that these figures are worrying, which is why the hospital continues with its preventive campaign that it has been carrying out for two years.
He stressed that the country has favorable figures regarding the deaths of injured patients who die inside the hospital. In the case of Ney Arias, 3 percent of patients who arrive with polytraumas die, a figure lower than that of the United States and Europe.
Dr. Landrón described the situation as a “deadly epidemic” and said that the institutions must work hand in hand to prevent more deaths from this cause.
