DR really needs to step in and regulate those mini buses. Many are unsafe, over loaded with people, and speeding. I have seen many with the sliding door open since the driver has no AC. No one wears their seatbelt inside of the mini buses, and many of the drivers are buzzed most of the time

I drive from Bani to Santo D everyday. Thoses mini buses are oblivious. They dont stay in their lane, dont signale, pass car on the left/ right what ever they feel like. And I am not certain they know what the mirrors are for?????? So no surprise that we have so many deadly accidents. # in the pass 2 weeks ( Santo- Samana, Barahona and now San C-Bani. But whats the solution?

in USA if you get a ticket you have to pay or your car gets the boot and then impounded. They need to start enforcing all driving laws and impound and auction any cars that can not pay the fine. It makes people think twice before driving crazy. Drive at your own risk!

The answer is AMET. We have the manpower....if they can place 6 officers on a corner to check for papers in newer vehicles ( totally oblivious to the obvious uninsured unsafe relics)...they have enough to patrol the highways.

How often have you seen a couple of Harleys parked roadside with a couple of uniformed officers....well....just sitting there.

I thought the purpose of the bikes was to look for driving infractions??? No sit under a bridge and chat.

Lets stop with the mindless waste of positioning AMET at obvious intersections week after week in search of money and have them start enforcing road safety. How about placing those bikes on two lane roads just before a blind corner...and fine any a-hole that decides that with no idea what is around that corner...it is a good time to overtake.

for :PuntaCanaMike

Amen... they chill under trees, have a presidente, flirt with the chicas...
Lets have them actually do their job... The worst is having 10 of them on any 27 de febrero intersection (that actually has working lights) directing traffic... watching dangerous behavours/vehicules and not doing a thing

Xwill7: I agree it would work, cause there would not be much cars left on the streets ! The problem is great, drinking and driving, non knowledge of road safety, no safetybelt, no childseats, no brakes, over tainted windows...I could go on for hours... When you know better HOPEFULLY you do better.

speed traps and radar guns always make me slow down in the US

The real problem is the Union is to strong. Look they stop me for a tail light problem. Look at the cop cars or the buses heck even the motor cycles. Driving at night with no tail lights. It is more important to buy a pager or beeper than a 20 cent tail light. These people are animals nothing more. When you say something the response is always the same " ES MI PAIS " Real intelligent response.

if they try to enforce the driving laws, these animals will produce a huge strike and probably halt all major roads.
This is bad because there are tourist that step out of the resort areas and if they go back home saying that DR is beautiful but was almost killed on the road by a crazy driver... that hurts the tourism in DR

Welcome to METROLANDIA where all modernity is nothing more than smoke and mirrors and the only reality is no electricity and a super abundance of crime and corruption.

What has Lie-onel Fernandez and the PLD done in nine years? Get personally extremely wealthly and absoluetly ZERO for the Dominican masses!

Eh Pa Lante Que Vamos!

Josean! where have u been? LOL!!

yea, it is ridiculous the way some folks drive overhere. If the drivers dont respect the law, so what do we have the AMET for? for decoration?

In Santiago the AMET do stop you for running lights, not wearing your seat belt, and for drinking and driving. But speeding and merging with no signal, I have never seen anyone get stopped.

There are laws, but no enforcement. Consequently the laws have no teeth. Here is the solution:

Let's pay our Police enough so that they don't have to look for alternative (bribes) income while on the job.
Let the Police supervisors do their jobs. That means supervise. If the don't, get rid of them.
Let's pay our supervisors enough to mak it worth their while to care..
Let's pay our Police enough so that they will be afraid of losing their jobs if they are caught doing something wrong and let them know that if they are caught they will be prosecuted.
Let's put in a system whereby a person receiving a ticket for an infraction gets a mark put on their license. If they get stopped again and they don't have the receipt for payment of the ticket, take them right to jail.

The money to achieve these salary increase. Let's stop the governmental thievery and waste. There will be plently left over.

In Bani, AMET is also very active, I command them for the effort, its one of the only place you see so many people on motorcycle wearing a helmet, get stop for not wearing a seatbelt and such...

I agree with Josean ( again, its getting to be a habit!) Modernity is a pretty touristic Illusion. They get a rude awakaning when they leave their resort for real... not little organize tour. But the "road safety" issue is like many other issues in DR, when everyone does what they please and the Gov./ authorities only cares about getting richer before the end of their terms... cant expect much.

hey , I have a solution to increase the Police salary, reduce the military's effectifs... All they are good for is stoping transit and ask for money... Anyway, are we planning to go to war soon or invade Haiti? Or Leo is preparing for a Military coup to stay in power?

juanb,
I think that most people in DR care more about keeping their jipeta than than being in jail. Impound the car and send it to auction. If they go to jail they will still have their car when they get out. It hurts more to have to go from driving a car to driving a motor cycle. What will they tell the cueros when they see that they no longer have a car

I agree pay them more money. but get rid of the MONKEYS and, hire college grads., That can at least read and, write. If you look at Amet in the capital they are all from villa mella. Hatianos ?

Let me see "get rid of the MONKEYS" "they are all from villa mella. Hatianos?"

Hey Mr. Racist your not equating MONKEYS to human beings with Haitian nationality are you?

I knew that someone would bring up the H word. Please stay on topic. This is a serious issue that affects everyone on the road. Keep the racism to yourself

i agree with xwii7, lets stay focus in the main problem,we have the law system, what are we going to do, if those driver insist on breaking them, and the autorithys doesnt asign police men to be vigilent of those king of drivers

I looked at some of the pictures of the wreck... These guys were driving too fast to have made that much damage. Another item that affects the mini buses are the shocks. I have seen mini buses bouncing to a stop... Too dangerous!

you are right .drinking and driving, non knowledge of road safety, no safetybelt, no childseats, no brakes, over tainted windows..., and yes the amet police are total bullshit.... goto central park in any city... try pop.... they stop and talk and take the phone numbers from any chica that will stop and talk with them..... this goes on all day long....bet you theses drivers if you can call them that did not have a drivers license.and if they did they paid pesos to get it....maybve folks on the island should learn to use their brakes.... u know every one wants to be 1st and thats whats its all about....

CAME FROM THE AIRPORT IN SANTO DOMINGO FEW WEEKS AGO THE TAXI WAS DRIVING ON THE WHITE LINES..{TWO LANES}... going about 90miles hour..... made him stop and i got out... big fight he wanted me to pay him some thing..... i told him if he wanted to kill him self... go do this but im not lettting him take me with him on this DEATH RIDE..... sick stupid puppies they are...

in pop.. this is the correct way to drive.. if your making a lets say a left turn, then pull way over to right side of the street then make your left turn. this is crazy as the people that drive this way... but they tell me this is the way we do it over here..... good luck to them.....i lovesssssssssssss the way they park in pop...... front of the car into the parking space 1st... love this i do..... its even better top watch when the spot is small. lots of fun to watch very stupid people trying to park..... or drive....very stupid people....oh! foerget about driking or getting drunk to drive..... yes this also its very intelligent..... keep up the good work.....just maybe they all the bad drivers will kill each other...

I bet the taxi was an old corolla with bad brakes, shocks, and tires. Then add the 15-20 gallon propane tank in the trunk. I went in a cab once that had a tire as smooth as a ballon

Oh, good one ! The understanding of pick a lane and stay in it is a unknown concept ! This is, one of the worst country I had to drive in, Nairobi was not as bad ! Drivers license are optional, most of my friends and family member dont have one. If you get stop, you just have to say you left it at home, give 100 pesos and your on your way.

But it is right, everyone thinks they have priority or who ever as the biggest vehicule wins !

I won start on taxi drivers,

really sorry for all the poor people that have to use the minbus..... they are placing thier lives on the line each time they get into one....most dont have any good brakes. and the fool thats driving only thinks on how much money he can make... with no regard for the passengers saftey..... no regard at all. and no regard for people crossing the street.."run them down and laugh"...

most people drive in the middle, but sometimes the road is so bad on one side that you must drive in the middle. Also, sometimes there are people walking on the road so you can't help but to drive in the middle

raven thank you..... yes who has the biggest car is the winner....
sick, sick, sick, most think if they have a car they are rico...... shit i know guys in maimi that have ships, boats that are worth million forget the cars and they dont act like this....have one friend that has a painting in is home worth over $3million us..... thats more then any stupid suv on the streets in the dr.... .so they are not so rico like they think..., but they dont know this do they?.. yes they are big men to poor people.... let them come to maimi and see how rico they will be...

problem is the taxi i was taking about had good road in front of him.... hes was driving in the middle so he could pass, or not let anyone in front of him....

We need to start teaching children how to drive and obey the law since kindergarten and keep that up all through their school years. It should be a requirement. CaptRob, careful you could get things thrown at you for saying that.

shoot man, i heard that most driving licenses are BOUGHT! If only people were required to go to driving school and learn driving safety, this madness would stop. I love trucks, but heck they dangerous B@strds!. But unfortunately bribery is everything! btw, i saw the pic of the accident and boy, That bus is WRECKED!

Trujillo, agree it should teach the kids at a young age, but theres many many many other things that shold be included in the curriculum... And if you dont get positive reinforcement at home... success rate will be... low

FIX the roads first- you have to drive drunk to miss everything

FORGET THE LAWS OF THE ROAD...."Heaven ain't half full yet"

Now.....Let us all pray for the Victims and Family. Just for once all who go get behind the wheel of a car just stop and think.......A 2000 + pound steel vehicle traveling 30 plus MPH making sudden contact with another steel 2000 + pound Vehicle....end result total destruction, yes there called accidents but someone's always at fault speed, road conditions, Weather and carelessness is all it takes.
PLEASE ALL DRIVE SUPER CAREFUL......Been there, done that....Thank God I'm still alive.

I'm curious as to how many road fatalities occur every year. It seems there are constant headlines on this site with regard to driving fatalities. Does a government agency keep track of these results, can they be trusted to convey appropriate information. Does such agency, if it exist do anything to circumvent the continued incidents in the most perpetually affected areas? It seems more people lose their lives this way than for any other reason.

Ok, maybe I went a little overboard but hardly a racist. my grandfather is from Spain and, my grandmother from Cuba. I have lived here for over 12 years. I think I have a good opinion on what goes on in this country. Not like the people who write and, don't live here day in and day out. Yes, I agree pay the police more money but, make them have an education. Most cannot even read or write. Go to any police station they don't even use computers to write the report. They scramble for a scrap piece of paper and, you have to loan them a pen. You have to wait hours until someone in charge gets there before they will even take your complaint. There is no follow up unless you take care of it yourself. Everyone knows who lives here if you are in an accident you do not stop but, drive right to the police station. If you stop you are just asking for a beat down or worse. My ex- wife is Dominican she says it best. We Dominicans live in the me first Society.

report say ( not sure how accurate) 1854 peoples lost their lives in transit accident in 2008. other report say that it is higher than 2300. ( reported in Ciudad oriental)

To clarify my comment., In case nobody knows most of the Hatians live in Villa Mella. Almost all of the Amet are bussed in from Villa Mella. Makes one think ? This is a fact. Plus not to sound racist again but, how many light skinned Amet officers do you see in the Capital ? Just an observation. Not that I care one way or the other I have a chofer.

I know I am going to take heat for this but, It is my opinion. Next time your driving around town look around and, tell me I am wrong.

Thanks Bleu, I thought it would be even more than that. That's still an awful lot of people, what a shame.

This is just another accident where a lot of people are very sad
for losing friends, family and unfortunately, innocent children
because of the actions of a very careless driver.
I go to the DR lots and always drive around the country.
You have to watch everything constantly.
A lot of the taxi & bus drivers are just plain BAD drivers.
Be careful out there please.
The next driver you cut off just may have a gun and
having a bad day to begin with.

My condolences to the families of the victims.
Tommy.

I have travelled the world and I have never seen worst drivers then here in the Rep Dom. Most all dominicans are horrendous, except that in two years here I have met a couple woman who actually drive defensively, use blinkers, amazing! but it is not just the dominicans, mind you. I have seen many ex-pats drive like they are king-of-the-world, aloof, and suddenly the educated dude behind the wheel is an absolute moron (oh, and many ex-pats here really think they are kings & queens here, have you noticed?)

I'm not surprised!

danny00, i respect your insights. however, i beg to differ regarding not having good brakes. the average driver here figures that if you have a loud horn, then why have brakes too? if a guy sees an impediment in front of him, which is a potential accident, instead of slowing down, he stands on the horn, as if to say ¨i am headed your way, so make sure you are not there when i arrive ¨.

this evil driving is some macho thing. i am bigger than you, and so is my penis. so, i will race you every step of the way, even if i am going 2 blocks. i will go past my destination, just to be in front of you in the end. and, even if i am slower than you, i will not allow you to overtake. i will block both lanes. you shall stay behind me. and, if you get too close, i will shower you with styrofoam food containers, and Presidente bottles, which i keep for occasions such as these. then, i will stop in the middle of the road, and i will engage in lively and meaningless banter with my friend Fausto. all this while you are still behind me, you see. and, should you anger me further, i will park in front of your mother´s house, facing incoming traffic, select a reggaeton street anthem by one such as El Lapiz, turn up my 8 million watts of boombox, and blow her house down. that will teach you.

Dreadlocks, you kill me !

after you spend some time driving in DR, when you get back to the US it takes a few days to adjust and start using turn signals and driving on one lane again. I always have to say... wait I am not in DR anymore use the turn signal...lol

much obliged, Bleu Raven