Dominican vehicle fleet too old
The Dominican vehicle fleet in both the public and private sectors is rapidly aging. It is estimated that there are 4,097,338 vehicles registered in the country, of which 48.5% are an average of 18 years old. The most recent report from the Tax Agency (DGII) indicates that there are 1,987,299 four wheeled vehicles, which were manufactured before the year 2000, most of which are in Greater Santo Domingo and Santiago, the two largest cities.
Of the 865,186 cars, around 63% (or 542,743) were manufactured last century and in the case of buses 54,504 are 18 years old or more that is 56.5% of the total number of buses, and 59.8%, some 250,118 cargo trucks also have an average of 18 years since manufacture.
According to the president of the National Association of Vehicle Distribution Agencies (ANADIVE), Marlon Bonnelly, the problem lies not in the age of the vehicle but in the lack of a rigorous inspection program that would guarantee less contamination and more safety on the roads.
Luis Alba, expert in vehicular transit, feels that the country lacks policies of prevention and planning, and that it has not taken into account the importance of renewing the vehicle fleet, nor ensuring that the vehicles on the road are in a suitable condition.
Source: DR1, DiarioLibre
May 8, 2018
Category: DR News |