Perrera

The perreras (lit. 'dog kennels'), also known as chirrincheras,^[1][2] are the name given in Venezuela to trucks generally used to move livestock or heavy objects. Although historically people in rural and indigenous areas used to board them to move banana bags, during the crisis in Venezuela and in recent years their use has grown in cities such as Caracas, Maracaibo, Maracay, Valencia, Carúpano, Puerto La Cruz, Mérida, Puerto Ayacucho, among others, due to hyperinflation, the disabling of public transportation units such as buses, shortage of spare parts for vehicles and lack of cash, among other factors. The name comes from the similarity of the vehicles with the vans used to pick up dogs from the street. They lack safety for the transportation of people, as they do not have seats or seat belts.^[3] As they are not suitable vehicles for transporting people, the use of perreras can cause serious injuries and death of users. In 2018 alone, at least 32 passengers died from falls or rollovers.