UNITAR
16 July 2025, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – As part of shared commitment to road safety and education and promoting safer mobility in the Dominican Republic, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the National Institute of Transit and Land Transportation (INTRANT), the Liga Municipal Dominicana (LMD), the International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders (CIFAL) Dominican Republic and Pernod Ricard have re-introduced the Autosobriety Training Programme, an initiative focused on raising awareness about the risks of alcohol consumption while driving.
Held at the headquarters of the LMD with the support of CIFAL Dominican Republic, the event gathered over 100 national and international stakeholders to discuss challenges and strategies related to alcohol-impaired driving. The one-day event offered a public session and a Training of Trainers (ToT) for instructors from the Escuela Nacional de Educación Vial de la República Dominicana (ENEVIAL), the country’s lead institution for road safety education. The event featured expert presentations, panel discussions, and immersive virtual reality (VR) experiences. Training ENEVIAL’s instructors is a key step in building the institution’s capacity to independently implement and sustain the Autosobriety Training Programme.
The Dominican Republic has one of the highest road traffic fatality rates globally, with 27.4 deaths per 100,000 people. This places the country 12th worldwide and the highest in the region[1].
Transport Cabinet Coordinator and Minister, Mr. Deligne Ascención, noted that driving under the influence remains a major contributor to road accidents in the country. He reaffirmed the country’s commitment to prevention through educational programmes in line with the National Road Safety Pact and our objective of reducing road traffic fatalities and injuries.
Ultimately, it’s about saving lives and fostering a culture of responsibility and awareness on our roads,
he stated. Echoing this message,
LMD President Víctor D’Aza highlighted the crucial role of local governments in advancing road safety.
With support from UNITAR, we launched an international seminar on road safety and signed a collaborative agreement. This initiative brought together INTRANT, the Instituto Nacional de Formación Técnico Profesional (INFOTEP), the Dominican Municipal League (LMD), and the Federación Dominicana de Municipios (FEDOMU).
Today, we continue to build on the momentum of that effort. Training, education, and awareness are essential to improving road safety, and CIFAL Dominican Republic plays a key role in this area.
noted Rafael Santos, Executive Director of CIFAL Dominican Republic.
Estrella Merlos, Senior Policy Specialist and Global Head of Road Safety at UNITAR, highlighted the importance of a collective call to action, underscoring that
Initiatives like these must be supported by robust legal frameworks, effective prevention strategies, and the empowerment of road users to make safer choices.
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UNITAR
The Autosobriety Training Programme, including modules on legislation, alcohol’s physiological effects, and prevention strategies, aims to build long-term institutional capacity and promote a culture of responsibility and sobriety on the roads.
Experts from Mexico and Ecuador shared their experiences working to improve road safety in their regions. Mr. Juan Ernesto Zapata Silva, former Director General of ECU 911 in Ecuador, explained the origins of the national campaign “No More Lost Hearts on the Roads,” which is based on three pillars—Training, Awareness, and Enforcement—and emphasized the important role of collaboration between authorities, citizens, and the media in reducing traffic fatalities.
Mr. Sergio Omar Muñoz Torres, former Traffic Director in Arandas, Mexico, cited challenges he had to overcome, such as a lack of protocols, personnel, materials, and supplies for detecting alcohol in suspected drivers, as well as inconsistencies between statistics from different offices and official reports in managing incident data.
The awarding of certificates to ToT participants marked a key milestone in the programme’s local amplification, bringing this global initiative closer to individuals on the ground and reinforcing its long-term sustainability. Far from concluding the effort, the event signalled the start of a strengthened and continued collaboration among UNITAR, INTRANT, the LMD, CIFAL Dominican Republic, Pernod Ricard, and local authorities to make Dominican roads safer for all.
UNITAR