More than 700 people lost their lives as a result of traffic accidents in Cuba during 2023, authorities reported this Wednesday.
Colonel Roberto Rodríguez, head of the Specialized Traffic Body of the General Directorate of the National Revolutionary Police, informed the official newspaperGranma that 2023 was the year with the fewest accidents, with 8,556; and injured, with 5,938.
These figures represent a reduction of 13 and 7% respectively in relation to the previous year, he noted.
However, thedeath toll increased in relation to 2022 when 729 were counted, Rodríguez said.
He said that the accident rate on the island is determined "by the actions of drivers and pedestrians, and the human factor is responsible for 91% of these events"; since at least "60% of the accidents, 48% of the deaths and 66% of the injuries, were caused by not paying attention to thevehicle control and not respecting the right of way," he said.
Among other causes of the accidents were excessive speed, with 12% of the deaths, and the poor technical condition of some vehicles, which contributed to 10% of the victims, he stressed.
27% ofthe deceased They were pedestrians hit by cars, with the greatest impact in the provinces of Havana, Matanzas, Artemisa and Granma, he said.
Rodríguez acknowledged that the poor condition of the roads complicates road safety.
Likewise, he said that there are limitations on investments to improve roads, while more than 400 thousand mopeds have been incorporated into circulation, which complicates the situation.
Moped vehicles provided54 deaths in the year, he pointed out.
The colonel expressed that among motorcycle and moped drivers, the country accumulated 56% of the accidents, 59% of the deaths and 50% of the injuries.
For its part, 70% of the accidents occurred in urban areas, mainly between 3:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., and mainly on Saturdays.
With the exception of Pinar del Río and Isla de la Juventud, all provinces reduced accident rates.
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