Santo Domingo - The thousands of vacationers who returned to the capital yesterday were flanked by police and Amet in an operation aimed at preventing accidents.

The huge wave of vacationers who traveled from different parts of the country returned home after the long weekend. Early reports indicate that this year the number of traffic accidents and fatalities remained well below figures of last year. In comparison to 2009 where there were 56 fatalities, only 22 had been reported up to noon yesterday.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (AMET) and the Police led the plan to have a huge presence on the main roads in the country - Mainly at the entrance to the National District and the municipalities of the province of Santo Domingo. From 1500hrs to 1900hrs thousands of motorists were checked against traffic violations from drinking and driving, overloaded vehicles, speeding and reckless driving.