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Direct observation at 10 major intersections found thousands of risky behaviors involving drivers, motorcyclists and pedestrians in the Dominican capital.<\/strong><\/p>\n A study by the Fundaci\u00f3n Movilidad Vial Dominicana (MOVIDO)<\/strong> recorded 4,387 risky road behaviors<\/strong> during 30 hours of direct observation at 10 major intersections in Santo Domingo.<\/p>\n The findings highlight the frequency of behaviors that can increase the risk of traffic crashes, including running red lights and using mobile phones while driving.<\/p>\n Observers recorded an average of 146 risky behaviors per hour<\/strong>, equivalent to approximately one every 25 seconds.<\/p>\n Vehicles running red lights accounted for 1,284 of the recorded cases<\/strong>. Motorcycles were involved in another 763 cases of crossing against a red traffic signal<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Intersection blocking was also a significant problem. Observers recorded 684 vehicles stopped inside intersections despite being unable to proceed<\/strong>, creating additional obstacles for other road users.<\/p>\n The study also identified 512 cases of drivers using mobile phones<\/strong>, 476 improper pedestrian crossings, 391 prohibited vehicle turns and 277 instances of motorcycles traveling or remaining on sidewalks.<\/p>\n Motorcycles were directly involved in 2,324 of the risky behaviors recorded<\/strong> during the observations, including red-light violations, sidewalk use and other dangerous maneuvers.<\/p>\n MOVIDO nevertheless stressed that unsafe road behavior is not limited to motorcycle users. Researchers also observed violations involving automobile drivers and pedestrians.<\/p>\n The study relied on direct observation rather than a public-opinion survey<\/strong>. Its purpose was to identify behaviors that may occur before crashes and could therefore be addressed through prevention, education and enforcement.<\/p>\n The observations covered 10 intersections selected based on factors including traffic volume, motorcycle presence, congestion and their importance to urban mobility.<\/p>\n The locations included the intersections of 27 de Febrero and Abraham Lincoln<\/strong>, 27 de Febrero and Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy and Winston Churchill, as well as several other major intersections involving M\u00e1ximo G\u00f3mez, Independencia, George Washington, Jos\u00e9 Contreras and Ortega y Gasset avenues.<\/p>\n MOVIDO said it plans to conduct similar measurements periodically through its Radar MOVIDO de Conducta Vial<\/strong>, allowing future results to be compared with previous observations and helping assess whether education and enforcement measures are changing road-user behavior.<\/p>\n The figures provide a snapshot of behavior at the selected locations during the observation period and should not be interpreted as a nationwide measurement of all traffic violations in the Dominican Republic<\/strong>.<\/p>\nRunning red lights was the most common behavior<\/h3>\n
Motorcycles accounted for a significant share<\/h3>\n
Ten Santo Domingo intersections were observed<\/h3>\n