Dominican Republic boasts modern, deadly road grids

Santo Domingo.- New construction and repairs to Dominican Republic’s road grid makes it ideal for brisk traffic but the stunning number of accidents leave more deaths than organized crime.

Traffic accidents kill 1,500 and injure 3,000 every year, many of them amputations, according to recent figures from Metropolitan Transit Authority (AMET) director Juan Geronimo Brown.

Although the country’s economy depends mostly on tourism and agriculture commerce, and an efficient system of quality roads is key to spur its growth and urban development, experts also note that a nation’s wellbeing also hinges on infrastructure designed for the safety of its users.

President Danilo Medina recently inaugurated the San Pedro-La Romana-Punta Cana (east) road grid, Dominican Republic’s most ambitious regional infrastructure, which placed the Caribbean’s most popular tourism destination just 50 minutes away from the capital.

The route, formed by the Eastern Motorway and the Coral Highway, features modern road signs, railings, medians and shoulders, to improve traffic safety.

But the story changes on the Duarte Highway the country’s busiest artery,, as well as the Southern Highway, where the combination of speed and poor design lead to the carnage that thrust Dominican Republic to the top of the world’s deadliest places for motorists.