Highways here, there and yonder

By Aurelio Pedroso

HAVANA – The young Spanish politician Ángel Francisco Carromero Barrios will remember to his dying day the moment he chose to drive that Hyundai Accent, license plate T31402, down the highways of Cuba’s eastern provinces.

First, because of the two deaths he caused, which undoubtedly will bring him punishment. Second, because of the generally deficient condition of the main roadways, where the absence of lights and the excess of pothole-marked pavements give a lethal welcome to even the most experienced driver.

And don’t anybody tell me any tales about other roadways in the world, because I’ve driven over everything and everywhere, from country roads in Spain to the twisting and dangerous roads on Guatemalan mountains.

It’s not the first time I’ve said that driving in Cuba is a high-risk sport, not only for Cubans but also for foreigners, who habitually drive at speeds above 100 and 120 kilometers per hour [60 to 72 mph].

This reminds me of what happened years ago to a Spanish colleague on the Havana-Pinar del Rio highway, which, by the way, is one of the better ones here, with a speed limit of 100 kh [60 mph]. The driver was pulled over by a traffic policeman who told him he was driving too fast. The driver swore up and down that he was not speeding, that he was driving at a normal speed. When the policeman asked what speed he thought he was driving at, the Spaniard answered: “130, officer.”

I have been told (though I haven’t been able to verify this) that since last year, the state insurance company ESEN has become involved in this situation. It’s good to know, because the statistical reports from the traffic authorities do not acknowledge highway disrepair as one of the main causes of accidents. Mostly, the authorities blame excessive speed, disrespect for traffic rules, and drunk driving for the accidents.

I have often asked myself why – when through excessive drinking or simple imprudence you smash into the wall of a private business or home – you have to pay for the damages, but if you drive into a pothole and bust one of your tires or crack an axle, no insurance policy will cover the damage. You and only you are the responsible party, because “you didn’t look ahead.”

Another battle not won, despite heavy fines, involves animals roaming on the roadway. Cows, horses and sheep wander about at all hours of the day or night, creating a danger for anyone who drives even at a moderate 35 miles per hour.

Along Havana’s Malecón [the seaside boulevard], there are areas where the yellow line separating the lanes does not exist. Another Spanish colleague, visiting the capital, was fined because the policeman told him that he “should have assumed that a yellow line was painted there.”

Some years ago, I asked about the lack of road signs on the highway from Ciego de Avila to the northern keys. The answer was that some farmers stole them because they needed the wood to build chicken coops or rabbit hutches. The red and yellow reflectors placed at the edge of the road were also missing. Bikers and owners of horse-drawn wagons stole them and placed them in the back of their vehicles as warning lights.

I also asked one of the toll-booth clerks on the Varadero-Matanzas road why they didn’t place emergency telephones here and there, considering how much money they collected from the drivers. His confidential answer: “We can’t even put up a light bulb. All the money we collect goes to Havana.”

We must be wary when we drive through areas we don’t know. “The danger is in the confidence,” the saying goes. Just ask Ángel Francisco Carromero Barrios, who drove at excessive speed, didn’t see a warning sign and now is mainly responsible for the death of Oswaldo Payá. I stress “mainly responsible.”

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