Two more road deaths bring total to 48

TWO OVERNIGHT traffic deaths on January 15  brought  Panama’s grim  highway statistic so far this year to 48 with Carnival only days away.

The latest was in  Albrook when a 30 year-old driver who lost control of his vehicle was killed. His passenger is in critical condition in hospital Santo Tomas.

The most deaths (13) were in the provice of West Panama, according to  the National Traffic Operations Directorate (DNOT) indicate that it is in the province of West Panama.

Chiriquí  is close behind with with 12 dead, Panama with 10 , Coclé with five cases, Herrera with three, Colón and Veraguas with two cases each and Los Santos with one victim.

In 2016, Panama headed the list with 129, Chiriquí with 77 and Panama West with 63 out of a total of 440. Up from 417, the previous year

Lieutenant Javier De Los Reyes, lieutenant of the DNOT, said that speeding, distractions like cell phones and drunk driving cause most accidents.while  not using  seat belts contributes to the  death toll.

“People assume that the belts are only used in the front seats, but they should be used in all positions,” he said.

He added that not enough  attention is paid to providing harnesses  for children under seven.