The official media outlet Radio Caribe published a report in which Captain Aramis González Almeida, the municipal traffic chief of Isla de la Juventud, boasted that traffic accidents have decreased in the area this year, attributing the decline to the preventive efforts of the authorities.
The official cited common causes of accidents as alcohol consumption, speeding, and lack of attention while driving, and identified mopeds driven by young people aged 18 to 30 without a license as the main area of risk.
González also highlighted as an "achievement" the breathalyzer checkpoint set up each summer near the beaches, noting that in July, no drivers had been found to be intoxicated, which he presented as evidence of the "awareness" of the drivers.
The note sparked an avalanche of ironic reactions on social media, where hundreds of Cubans pointed out the reason that the official report completely overlooked: there is no fuel.
"Fewer accidents are not due to greater awareness or police control; it's simply because there is no fuel and the streets are empty. Without traffic, even the statistics improve on their own," wrote Kevin Ivan Ramirez Cedeño.
Others were more direct. "Once the dog is dead, the rabies ends. Zero fuel, zero accidents," summarized Onel Cosme Rodriguez Broche.
Yasmani Hernández Veg raised the question that many had in mind: "Do traffic accidents decrease or does traffic decrease? I didn't quite understand."
Salezky Izquierdo introduced the most talked-about twist of the publication: "What they don't tell you is that there has been an increase in collisions with people walking half asleep in the streets."
For his part, Javier Prieto Mulet described the reality of the territory with an image that summarizes the collapse of transportation: "You don't even see people walking on the island. You can lie down and take a nap in the middle of the road."
Yunier Cabrera extended the irony beyond transit: "Alcoholics, obesity, and smokers have also decreased. Root vegetables, greens, proteins, and many other things have decreased. Come on, Caribbean, do a report on all that."
Tuxel Lexut was more severe with the state media: "Please, be more serious. Of course, there need to be fewer accidents. A respected journalist should not lend themselves to that kind of news."
The controversy was joined by Gumersindo Figueredo , who was one of the few commentators to provide a nuanced perspective without dismissing the criticism: "Despite the low traffic due to the limited availability of fuel, there is still significant circulation of electric transportation, mostly tricycles. Many operate without a license, experience or responsibility."
Juan Neris Perez Ruiz alerted about a problem that the authorities also did not mention: "There has been an increase in electric scooters driven by minors, even as young as six or seven years old, without helmets and at speeds they can hardly control. What will be done about this?".
Yudisleny Leyva Gracia succinctly captured the widespread sentiment: “It’s not because of the good work they do; it’s cause and effect. Without traffic, there are no accidents.”
However, at a national level, Cuba ended 2025 with 750 fatalities in traffic accidents and 6,718 injured, according to official figures presented at a meeting of the National Road Safety Commission.
Furthermore, the context that the official report overlooked is devastating. Since December 2025, Venezuelan oil has not reached the island, which triggered a spiral of accelerated deterioration: in February 2026, the electric company announced outages in four-hour cycles; by May, the available generation dropped to six hours a day; and in July 2026, the residents of Pine Island are living with barely two hours of electricity a day.
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