Saturday, February 11, 2012

Statistics / Fernando Dámaso

Statistics / Fernando Dámaso
Fernando Dámaso, Translator: Unstated

A journalist, writing about traffic accidents, said that Cuba has one of
the lowest rates — 6.5 deaths per hundred thousand inhabitants — and
adds that, since 1963 there is a downward trend. I do not question his
statistics but, to better understand them, it is necessary to consider
some factors that are obvious.

In the decade of the fifties Cuba had one (1) automobile for every forty
(40) people. Then, our population was six million five hundred thousand
(6,500,000) inhabitants. You can imagine the traffic density. The
triumph of the insurrection stopped the massive import of cars (they
were brought only for leaders and senior government officials), so it is
natural that from the year 1963 (as the existing fleet aged or broke
down) accidents would diminish.

In the early sixties care almost ceased to move (they became prehistoric
animals), and you could cross any street in slow motion, without danger
of being run over. Some Skodas were imported from Czechoslovakia, mainly
for foreign experts and specialists based in the country, along with VWs
and Alfa Romeos for State Security, and some of the latter, for senior
leaders.

In the decade of the seventies, after the failure of the Ten Million Ton
Harvestt, when the now extinct Soviet Union and the socialist camp
decided to increase the diameter of the "subsidies pipe" to save their
Latin American showcase, a part of the credits not paid, was invested in
importing cars — Ladas, Moscovitches and the so-called Polaquitos — the
first for the Nomenklatura and professionals in charge (who were granted
the right to buy), the latter primarily for personnel in health and
education (same conditions), and the third to less important posts.
There were also some Volgas and Fiats for State use, especially for
college graduates, when it was a national goal to have a college educations.

With the demise of socialism, came the era of Chinese bicycles, which
flooded our cities and towns, ridden by inexperienced people, with total
disregard for traffic regulations, both day and night (without means of
lighting, which were never imported). At that time accidents were the
order of the day. With the creation of joint ventures and a certain
economic revival in the late nineties and early 2000, the bikes
disappeared (which had come to stay), and cars of capitalist origin
began appearing (Tiko, Toyota, Hyundai, etc.) and some Mercedes Benz for
top leaders, and others officially called ostentatious, acquired for by
artists (mostly musicians) and high performance athletes.

In recent years, they have mainly imported China-made vehicles, cars and
buses and trucks, and this has increased traffic some, despite the poor
condition of many roads, which has concentrated traffic on the few
passable roads. Today, more than eleven million inhabitants, although
figures are not published, and we must be very far from the car for
every forty people. Considering all these factors, not addressed by the
journalist, it makes sense that regardless of all regulatory and
organizational measures taken by relevant authorities, accidents have
decreased. It's a simple equation: fewer vehicles traveling equals fewer
accidents. When comparing statistics with other countries, all this must
be considered.

November 10 2011

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