The number of road casualties is the highest in 4 years, March did not improve the statistics much

The number of road casualties is the highest in 4 years, March did not improve the statistics much
1/4/2020Press releases

According to preliminary information, 103 people died in road accidents in the Czech Republic between January and March 2020, i.e. 15 more year-on-year. After three years in which no more than 88 people were killed in the first quarter, this is almost the same number as four years ago (106). Accidents in which the driver drove at an excessive speed, did not pay attention to driving, went over to the opposite direction or knocked down a pedestrian at the pedestrian crossing significantly contributed to the increase in the number of victims.

The number of road casualties is the highest in 4 years, March did not improve the statistics much
“After the bad beginning of the year, the situation on the roads was affected by the emergency situation around the coronavirus epidemic and related government measures restricting movement. In March, the number of accidents and both minor and serious injuries decreased year-on-year. Unfortunately, the number of casualties has not significantly dropped in the past month. As regards fatal accidents, the overall balance of the quarter is worse than last year,” said Tomáš Neřold, Head of the BESIP Department of the Ministry of Transport. 

While the total number of serious and light injuries has always been below 2019 year-on-year in March, the number of accidents was higher this year before 14 March. The number of casualties fell below last year's values on March 23. Not a single person died on the roads in the Czech Republic for six days, from 21 to 26 March. There were 9 such days in March in total, but last year 10 days without casualties were recorded in March.

 “I strongly warn drivers not to give in to the false feeling of safety and looser rules that lower traffic evokes in many people. Excessive speed and low attention to driving has been one of the most common causes of tragic traffic accidents for a long time. People are showing solidarity and mutual consideration in the fight against the spread of coronavirus. I am asking drivers to also transfer responsibility and sensible behaviour to the roads. During this period, we need rescue workers, fire fighters and police officers in places other than traffic accidents,“ emphasized Neřold.

The words of the head of the independent BESIP department Tomáš Neřold are supplemented by Jindřich Frič, Director of the Transport Research Centre: “I consider using restraint systems to be one of the areas with the highest potential for reducing the fatal and serious consequences of accidents. Over a long time, one third of people who were killed and one fifth of people who were seriously injured were not wearing a seat belt in their vehicles. Generally, the lower the road category, the higher the proportion of people who are not wearing a seat belt, e.g. on category III roads and local roads, almost half of the people who were killed did not have their seat belt fastened.”

You can find accident statistics for March and the first quarter of 2020 in the gallery next to the article.
 
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