Two-Car Collision on Cuba's National Highway Sparks Various Theories

A Chinese Dongfeng rental car and a Moskvitch collided between kilometers 80 and 88 on the National Highway (in the province of Artemisa), according to several photos shared by witnesses. One of the witnesses passed through the area around noon this Wednesday.

The causes of the accident remain unknown, as well as whether there were any injuries. Those who reported the incident in the popular Facebook group Buses & Camiones claimed to have passed by the scene seemingly long after the event occurred. The peculiar scene of the two vehicles, the Chinese car with front-end damage and the Russian car with a severe hit on the left side, has left dozens of netizens questioning how such an accident could happen on such a wide road.

"On such a wide and good stretch, they can only blame the Blockade," joked one user in the group.

Possible Causes of the Accident

Among the possible theories: a blown tire causing loss of control, one of the drivers dozing off, or a miscalculated turn maneuver. "From what I see in the photo, the rental car hit the other one"; "Surely the Moskvitch was making a U-turn, and the Dongfeng hit it from behind"; "That Moskvitch must have been dodging potholes, the road is in terrible condition, and the Dongfeng was speeding"; "That section is dangerous, they put asphalt on the separator, and when there are potholes, some drivers go over the separator and end up in the other lane," were some of the comments.

Some speculated that the accident might have occurred early in the morning and that the cars were left as silent witnesses to a crash that happened under aggravating conditions like nighttime driving.

In the comments section of various posts about the incident, several netizens debated whether or not there are potholes on that stretch of the National Highway. Another user reasoned that not only nighttime but also a very sunny day can contribute to accidents, even on a wide and relatively empty road.

"Even the intense sun these days can play tricks on you. Drive on the highway at that hour, and it feels like you're in the Sahara Desert. The vapor columns distort your view. It's very tiring to drive at that time," observed another user.

"To crash, you only need to be on the road. All those who give opinions sitting in an office will never crash. Do you know how many things can happen for an accident to occur? That's why it's called an accident. If instead of a highway, they were on a train track, they wouldn't crash," commented a more compassionate user compared to the several who criticized the drivers.

What happened? It's still uncertain, but the Chinese and Russian cars remained there, in the middle of the road, confirming that accidents continue to wreak havoc in Cuba every day.

As of the close of this article, no further details about the accident have been confirmed.

Accidents of all kinds have been relentless on Cuban roads since the beginning of the year, continuing the same trend that marked 2023. Last year, 729 people lost their lives in Cuba due to traffic accidents. Authorities recorded 8,556 traffic accidents that resulted in 5,938 injuries. Human error was responsible for 91% of these incidents, according to the authorities. In one of the most recent accidents, a severe traffic collision occurred on Monday night on 5th Avenue in the Miramar neighborhood, municipality of Playa, when a rental car collided with a BMW that stopped several meters from where the rental car ended up.