Diversity Is Strength! It’s Also… Mexican Bad Driving

The body count in the drug cartel war here in Mexico continues to mount. A July 18th estimate by Reforma calculated that, as of July 18th, the death toll from cartel-related violence had surpassed 2,300 thus far, in calendar year 2008.

Nevertheless, there is an even bigger cause of death in Mexico: Traffic accidents kill more people than drug cartel shootouts.

According to a report released in April by Arturo Cervantes, director of Cenapra [the National Center for Prevention of Accidents], part of the Mexican Health Ministry, 40 people in Mexico die daily in violent acts. That figure includes both cartel-related violence and non-cartel related violence.

However, Cervantes also revealed that 55 die daily in traffic accidents in Mexico. [Mueren 95 personas al dÃ*a en accidents o actos violentos en México, Universal April 26th, 2008]

These figures were discussed at a conference entitled Accidentes y violencia, epidemia silenciosa [“Accidents and Violence, Silent Epidemicâ€