Incredible facts
Yesterday 75km north of Lima a bus full of passengers crashed through the embankment and fell into the depths. First estimates state that 36 passengers lost their lives. In Peru roughly 8 people die through traffic accidents every day; this makes roughly 3,000 casualties a year; the same figure as in Germany. But what do these facts tell us?
Compared to 44 million vehicles on Germany’s roads there are only 3 million on Peru’s. This means the risk is 15 times higher in Peru.
The reasons are manifold. Hundreds of thousands of drivers do not have a driving license. Statistics say that alone in Lima 0.6 million mototaxi-drivers ferry passengers without a license! Further reasons for the sad Peruvian figure are worn tires, brakes that no longer function properly, speeding, drunk-driving and the bad condition of the roads.
(Photo RPP)
