WILLEMSTAD – Motorists heading to the popular beaches around Cabana Beach, Mambo Beach and Lions Dive Beach via Bapor Kibra rarely think about traffic statistics. Yet a new analysis of 2025 accident data by ForenSys shows that this short coastal road has the highest accident density anywhere on the island.
When incidents are calculated per kilometer, Bapor Kibra records an average of about 136 traffic incidents per kilometer. That figure is significantly higher than on some of Curaçao’s busiest arterial roads, such as the Rooseveltweg, with approximately 73 incidents per kilometer, and the Caracasbaaiweg, with around 92.
In absolute numbers, those longer roads still top the list, with 522 accidents recorded on the Rooseveltweg and 473 on the Caracasbaaiweg. However, their greater length means that the concentration of incidents per kilometer is considerably lower than on Bapor Kibra.
According to traffic experts, the figures point to a classic pattern in road safety. The most dangerous roads are not necessarily the longest or the busiest, but rather short urban corridors where many different traffic flows intersect within a limited space.
Bapor Kibra combines several risk factors over a relatively short stretch. It serves as a primary access route to beaches, hotels, beach clubs and apartment complexes, creating a constant mix of local commuter traffic, taxis, tourists in rental cars, tour buses and pedestrians. Drivers with very different levels of experience and expectations share the same roadway, often at varying speeds.
The road is also lined with numerous driveways and entrances to resorts, parking areas and hospitality venues. Vehicles turning, merging or stopping to drop off passengers create a dense sequence of maneuvers in a small area. The higher the number of maneuvers per kilometer, the greater the likelihood of incidents.
The recreational and nightlife character of the area further adds to the risk, particularly in the evenings and on weekends when beach visits and entertainment activities peak. Internationally, driving under the influence is recognized as a major risk factor on such routes.
However, Curaçao’s official figures show a relatively low number of alcohol-related accidents. In 2025, just 235 incidents, roughly two percent of the nearly 12,000 recorded accidents, were classified as potentially linked to driving under the influence. That contrasts with the perception of heavy nightlife traffic around beach and entertainment zones.
The discrepancy may indicate that alcohol plays a smaller role than assumed, but it may also point to limitations in enforcement and registration. Breath tests are rarely conducted at the scene of accidents, and not every incident is forensically examined for alcohol use. As a result, the data may reflect gaps in measurement rather than the true scale of the problem.
It is also possible that Bapor Kibra’s position at the top of the list is slightly inflated, as the ForenSys figures do not distinguish between traffic collisions and other types of damage, such as vandalism or vehicle theft.
Even so, the findings underscore the need for a more systematic and data-driven approach to traffic safety on the island. Detailed accident data are now available, yet public reporting remains limited. The Ministry of Traffic, Transport and Urban Planning released a one-off bulletin last year with a brief half-year analysis, but structural, location-specific monitoring is still lacking.
With clear evidence showing where accidents are most concentrated, experts argue that Curaçao has an opportunity to move beyond general awareness campaigns and focus on targeted interventions at high-risk roads and intersections. Without such an approach, traffic safety efforts will continue to react to accidents after they happen, rather than preventing them in advance.