This paper is a first of two papers that focus on traffic related aspects in Aruba. The car has become an indispensable part of our daily living. The possession of a car provides the means to move around freely any time and at own convenience. The car is not only important as a means of transport but often symbolizes prosperity and personal status as well. On the other hand, the car brings along costs and these costs may go at the expense of other more direct needs, and also, there are concerns about the impact of extensive fuel use on the environment.

One of the interests in this study is to define the characteristics of car ownership in relation to geographical location of households and population growth. We will review the density of cars in different zones and compare the motorization rate in Aruba internationally. In order to gain insight in the location of traffic related concerns, we present an overview of the level of accidents and the changes thereof over the years as well as provide a detailed geographical representation of the traffic and noise related inconveniences that are felt in the direct vicinity of living quarters.