Just remember this is going on which means there are more drunk drivers on
the road at night!

Here's an example:

Another motorcycle accident - driver under the influence. Can't translate fully but they do mention SOUL - which leads me to believe this was around the area of the festival or he had attended:

AWE24 Bo Fuente Di Sucesos! - POLIS A DETENE MOTOCICLISTA HOPI BURACHI Y CANSA CU A DAL ABAO CU BROMMER BANDA DI MISA DI BRAZIL

__________________
Aruba Kitten Rescue
www.arubakitten.org

ummmm - why post a specific name unless you're sure?????? Your post references soul beach as it they are the culprit. Anyway, perhaps you are right but I beg to differ because over the years I too have witnessed motorcycle accidents on the island and there WAS NO Soul Beach going on.

Anyway, the festival is going on and it is very peaceful and as usual people are simply enjoying themselves.

I'm not really sure what you are accusing me of here? I just referenced an article on the web, said that my papimento isn't great and there was a
motorcycle accident involving alcohol.

I said I was not sure about the connection to the concert only saying it did have SOUL in the article. Never said anything about the concert itself -
I'm sure people are having a good time.....

Any concert - here, in the US or Canada - will have people drinking....

Just making sure that people are a little more on their guard.

__________________
Aruba Kitten Rescue
www.arubakitten.org

sunscreen, sorry but i think you are way off base here. crowds + drinking makes foolish people. liz didn't say they or the concert were evil. she just says that add that to a mix of tourists who are partying much harder than they would at home just because they are on vacation and you have generally more dangerous road conditions. warning people to be more cautious in heightened danger conditions is something that can be done best only by someone who lives on the island so can compare the changes.

maybe so....i've surely made my share of mistakes but I only (at least my intent) was to reference what was written. Accidents do and will happen so perhaps the bottom line message is to be careful.

Cheers!!!!

you are right that accidents do and will happen and care is important, but our members who are 'in the know' are there to warn the rest of us of heightened dangers because of changing conditions. weekends on the island are always a bit worse because the residents also have time to get into a party mood. add a concert to the mix and we can multiply those dangers exponentially. whenever any of the venues around my home have concerts, we all know to look out as we do at bar closing times, sporting events ending, and anywhere that drinking is allowed. locals to our area know the drill but tourists (and my city is a big tourist area) haven't a clue unless we warn them.

remember that tourists tend to think of themselves as invulnerable so are careless. if we don't warn them when we can of altered conditions we are being negligent. for that reason i always appreciate the warnings from liz and other aware members.

Such a very amazing link!

Excessive speed coupled with alcohol are usually the cause. In Aruba use of seatbelts, childseats was not commonplace or enforced until the past couple of years, and still many people do not use them although several campaigns to encourage their use seems to have paid off.

In my opinion alcohol is the biggest culprit, the perception in many people's minds is that its still OK to have a few (or more) and hit the road, especially among young people, but its definitely not limited to just them. Only the few adapt the concept of designated driver or taking a cab instead of driving themselves.

At carnival time and around New Year's one has to be additionally vigilant. Although we can be sober and drive very carefully that won't stop an out of control drunkard crossing lanes and causing an accident, so basically the only way to reduce this type of accident is to have really stiff penalties for DUI and enforce them equally strictly.

designated drivers are the way to go. we just keep feeding our DD and he's happy. a car full of goodies and you get there in one piece.

some of the restaurants have transportation. Cook's offers free transportation and will pick you up and drop you off just about anywhere. and it's not some stuffy cab, it's a decent size coach/bus with air. and if you're looking for a place to cocktail and walk around, cook's is right near downtown and great cocktails, good people. we use the coach. the owner is top-notch to provide it. i wish more places did that.