Stuck in Traffic in Hellish Temperatures

Stuck in Traffic in Hellish Temperatures

18 September 2026

There are two crises we are not talking about. There are more, but for now I will limit myself to these two. I prefer working online because face-to-face meetings take an incredible amount of time. I spend hours stuck in traffic. And that is not all: the driving behavior of road users is terrible, almost beyond description. Running red lights may not even be the worst of it.

The figures confirm this picture. In the first half of 2026, 6,351 traffic accidents were registered in Curaçao, almost 23 percent more than during the same period last year. A total of 1,949 people were injured and seven people died. Inattention played a role in 94 percent of the incidents. In 649 cases, a vehicle involved left the scene after the accident: almost one in ten.

The only thing the government seems to do is randomly install speed bumps. Meanwhile, Caracasbaaiweg, which recorded the highest number of accidents in the first half of 2026, does not even have proper road markings. Yesterday, I witnessed at least two accidents within a few meters of each other on this road.

I have lost count of how many times our cars have had to be repaired for dents this year.

And so the two crises reinforce each other: we spend more and more time stuck in traffic in temperatures in which we should actually be spending as little time outdoors as possible.

All of this is happening in abnormally high temperatures for September. Air conditioning is little more than a temporary remedy. The sun’s rays penetrate even through tinted glass. I have now organized my day so that I do not leave the shelter of a roof between 11:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Apparently, I am the only one, because I hardly hear anyone complaining about it.

Miguel Goede