Despite the mobility restrictions due to the pandemic, between January and September of this year 350 people died on Cuban roads and another 3,700 suffered injuries in the 5,612 traffic accidents that were registered on the island, 84 more than in the same period 2020.
Reinaldo Becerra Acosta, secretary general of the National Road Safety Commission, said this Friday to the official press that in 51% of the claims at least one victim was reported.
Mayabeque and Holguín were the provinces with the greatest danger, with one death in every seven accidents and at least one injured in each, said Becerra Acosta, who also explained that most of the crashes have occurred between three and six in the afternoon. .
The official again pointed out, as a cause for the accidents, the human factor and the irresponsibility of pedestrians and drivers. He highlighted “the lack of attention to the control of the vehicle” as the first. He also stated that 17% of the breathalyzer tests carried out on drivers by traffic officers were positive.
Becerra Acosta pointed out again, as a cause for the claims, the human factor and the irresponsibility of pedestrians and drivers
However, when listing the causes of these incidents, very few times do official reports mention the bad condition of the tracks, the bad signage and the terrible state of the vehicle fleet – due to the fact that for decades no new cars were sold in the country – as a cause of these accidents.
However, Becerra Acosta warned that accidents could increase after November 15 when the borders open and the country resumes all public transport and tourism services and restarts the school year.
Almost 47% of those involved in the more than 5,000 accidents belong to the state sector, the official said. Precisely, among the accidents with the most deaths this year are that of January 29 in the province of Mayabeque where ten people died and another 25 were injured.
On that occasion, a bus that was transporting teachers fell from a bridge on the Güines highway and according to the official media, the driver lost control of the vehicle at kilometer 42, left the National Highway and fell from the height of the bridge.
At the beginning of September seven other people died on the Moa-Baracoa highway when they hit a Toyota truck belonging to Empresa Constructora Integral Number 3 and a private jeep of the same brand.
Almost 47% of those involved in the more than 5,000 accidents belong to the state sector
One month after six Cubans diedAmong them, Daniel Cisneros Gil, president of the People’s Provincial Court of Las Tunas, after a crash involving two official vehicles, a Peugeot 301 from the Tourism sector and a Kia Picanto from the Provincial Court.
Last year, the reduction in mobility due to measures to deal with the pandemic was reflected in the decline in accident rates on the island, although less than could be expected. Each day of 2020 were counted, on average, one deceased and 16 injured in the 20 traffic accidents that occurred.
According to data from the National Road Safety Commission, the mortality rate was 4.24 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, a number lower than in 2019, when the figure was 5.41 per 100,000.
During 2019, according to the Statistical Yearbook of Cuba, there were 9,421 accidents that caused 606 deaths and 6,992 injuries. Almost 38% were concentrated in Havana, where 102 people died.
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