Nine traffic fatalities in second quarter of 2018 – NSO

During the second quarter of 2018, there were nine road traffic fatalities, the NSO said yesterday.

The number of reported road traffic accidents during the second quarter of this year reached 3,837, down by 6.0 per cent over the comparative period in 2017. The Northern Harbour district registered the highest number of road traffic accidents with 1,376 cases or 35.9 per cent of the total.

Road traffic casualties decreased by almost 15 per cent to 470 over the same period in 2017, of which 269 (57.2 per cent) were drivers. The number of drivers who suffered slight/insignificant injuries was 232, while 33 cases were reported as having sustained grievous injuries.

Another 52 persons (28 passengers, 22 pedestrians/others and two cyclists) suffered grievous injuries. There were also 102 passengers, 36 pedestrians/others and six cyclists who were slightly/insignificantly injured. Furthermore, the injuries suffered by four drivers, three passengers, one pedestrian and one cyclist were fatal.

When classified by gender, persons who sustained slightly/insignificantly injuries during the second quarter of 2018 amounted to 209 males and 167 females. Grievouslyinjured persons totalled 85, the majority being males (71.8 per cent). The fatalities comprised of seven males and two females.

Almost 31 per cent of the casualties fell in the 41-59 age bracket. The largest number of road traffic casualties (58.5 per cent) involved passenger cars, followed by motorcycles (22.8 per cent) and goods-carrying vehicles (8.3 per cent). The four driver fatalities comprised of two motorcyclists and two passenger car drivers. Among the three passenger fatalities, two were on-board a coach/private bus and one on a passenger car. Six cyclists were hit by passenger cars that lead to one fatality, one grievously injured and four sustained slight injuries.

Road traffic casualties caused by accidents between vehicles topped the list, accounting for 68.3 per cent of all road traffic casualties. The highest road traffic casualty rate occurred on Mondays, reaching 21.3 per cent of the total casualties; while the highest number of road traffic accidents (600) occurred on Thursdays.

Sundays topped the highest casualty-to-accidents ratio with 17.3 per cent compared to an overall average of 12.2 per cent. The time bracket during which most road traffic accidents occurred was between 12:0014:59, with 826 cases, followed by the 09:00-11:59 time bracket with 793 cases. The least number of accidents occurring daily took place between 03:00-05:59 (83 cases). The highest number of road traffi c accidents was registered in Birkirkara with 298 cases. Qormi and St. Paul’s Bay followed with 215 and 203 reported accidents respectively.