Dominican Republic Strengthens Road Safety Strategy With International Partners

The Dominican Republic hosted a High-Level Ministerial Meeting on Road Safety, bringing together senior government officials, international organizations and mobility experts to reinforce cooperation and improve coordination in efforts to reduce road traffic crashes across the country.

Organized by the National Institute of Transit and Land Transportation (INTRANT), the meeting was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MIREX) Convention Center in Santo Domingo. Participants included Jean Todt, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, representatives of the UN system, the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), Dominican government ministers and international transportation specialists.

Coordinated Action to Save Lives

INTRANT Executive Director Milton Morrison described road safety as a shared responsibility requiring the continued commitment of all public institutions. He said stronger coordination among government agencies would help advance measures designed to save lives and create safer mobility throughout the country.

Jean Todt encouraged governments, international organizations, the private sector and civil society to deepen cooperation and accelerate initiatives aimed at reducing traffic-related deaths and injuries worldwide.

Representing Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez, Vice Minister for Multilateral Foreign Policy Rubén Silié said the meeting reaffirmed the Dominican Republic’s commitment to dialogue, multilateral cooperation and coordinated public policies that promote safer, more inclusive and sustainable transportation systems.

National Road Safety Plan Moves Forward

During the meeting, officials presented the coordination and monitoring mechanisms for the National Road Safety Strategic Plan (PENSV) 2025–2030. Permanent working groups were formally established, and institutional focal points were designated to oversee implementation of the plan’s priority initiatives.

Other participants—including Transport Cabinet Coordinator Deligne Ascención, Public Health Minister Víctor Atallah, UN Resident Coordinator Julia Sánchez, PAHO/WHO Representative Bernardino Vitoy and former New York City Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodríguez—also emphasized the importance of international cooperation, institutional coordination and the exchange of best practices to improve road safety outcomes.

Recent Road Safety Initiatives

Officials highlighted several initiatives supporting the country’s broader road safety agenda. These include hosting the Eighth Ibero-American Meeting on Road Safety Data, creating five local road safety committees, launching the Local Road Safety Plan in Moca and expanding evidence-based traffic safety policies.

Authorities also reported conducting more than 55,000 alcohol screening tests, identifying 25 high-risk crash locations for intervention and launching a speed reduction program that introduced the country’s first speed table traffic calming measure along Santo Domingo’s Malecón.

Additional efforts include technical assessments at 287 schools through the Safe School Environments program, certification of more than 1,000 drivers in safe driving skills, road safety education for 30,000 secondary school students, specialized training for traffic officers and a new agreement among 14 institutions to strengthen the collection and sharing of road crash data for evidence-based policymaking.