Dominican Republic It is among the countries with the highest rates of traffic accidents in the world, according to data from international entities such as the World Health Organization (WHO).
This situation has turned the road collisions in one of the main causes of death in the country, even surpassing epidemics and diseases in terms of social and economic impact.
This was stated by the President of the Republic, Luis Abinader, during LA Semanal, and he also highlighted that between 2016 and 2024, a total of 26,527 people have lost their lives in traffic accidents in the country, “an alarming figure that exceeds the mortality of events such as pandemic“.
Abinader pointed out that the weekends concentrate the greatest number of fatal accidentswith an average of 13.9 deaths on Sundaysfollowed by Mondays with 10.4 victims. The average daily figures for the rest of the week are:
- Tuesday: 7.7
- Wednesday: 6.3
- Thursday: 5.2
- Friday: 8.5
- Saturdays: 9.8
During the period of January to September from 2024, 68% of deaths involved motorcycleswhile the 25% of the victims were young people between 25 and 34 years oldwhich shows the vulnerability of this population segment.
By demarcations, the Greater Santo Domingo leads the list with 11.6% of deathsfollowed by Santiago with a 9.8% and Saint Christopher with a 9.7%.
Economic impact
In addition to the loss of life, the economic impact of the traffic accidents It is significant. In 2023, a total of 121,850 people were injured in road accidents, generating a cost of 130 billion of pesos to the health system, equivalent to 2.2% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country.
The president announced that, by mid-2025, it is expected to inaugurate the trauma care network with a application that will allow citizens to report accidents in real time and identify where they should go.
