• Submitted by: lena campos
• Society
• 08 / 10 / 2012

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A total of 363 people were killed in Cubas's traffic accidents in the first half of this year, a 13.4 percent increase over the same period last year, official figures showed Wednesday.

A total of 5,367 traffic accidents were recorded during Jan-June, the highest number in 12 years, the official daily Granma said quoting a police report.

The number of injured in road accidents rose to 4.388, also the highest since 2000.

The report blamed the unregulated "bicitaxis" or bicycle taxis for the rising number of accidents especially in urban areas. The service emerged only after the government opened the door to limited private enterprise.

Traffic police have been working to crack down on the illicit service, detaining more than 2,000 bicitaxi drivers in the first half of the year.

To reduce the number of accidents, authorities last year introduced stiffer penalties for speeding and drunk driving.

Source: Bernama.com