Five traffic fatalities during second quarter of 2016

The injuries resulting from traffic accidents in the second quarter of 2016 suffered by two drivers, one passenger, one pedestrian and one cyclist were fatal. The people involved were four males and one female.

In the period between the beginning of January to the end of June, the number of road traffic fatalities amounted to nine cases.

The number of reported traffic accidents in the second quarter of this year marked a 5.9% increase over the same period in 2015, reaching 4,331 cases. The Northern Harbour district registered the most accidents with 1,647 cases, making up 38% of the total number accidents.

Casualties as a result of traffic accidents increased by 8.7% to 498 over 2015, with the majority of casualties falling in the 26-40 age bracket. 64.5% of casualties, meaning 321 cases, involved drivers.

The amount of slight injuries sustained by drivers was 273 and 46 cases were reported as grievous. Another 34 persons, of which 9 were passengers and 25 were pedestrians, suffered grievous injuries. There were also 100 passengers and 40 pedestrians who were slightly injured.

66.9% of traffic casualties were caused by passenger cars, while 22.3% were caused by motorcycles, and 6.8% by goods-carrying vehicles.

The highest traffic casualty rate occurred on Sundays, accounting for 17.5% of total casualties, while the highest number of accidents were recorded on Mondays, totalling 692 cases, and the lowest was recorded on Sundays, with 464 cases. Sundays topped the highest casualty-to-accidents ratio, with 18.8% compared to an overall average of 11.5%.

In the first quarter, 413 people were slightly injured in traffic accidents, 236 being males and 177 being females. Grievously injured persons totalled 80, the majority being males.

The highest rate of traffic accidents was registered in Birkirkara with 354 cases. Ħal Qormi and Marsa were next, with 225 and 207 reported accidents respectively.