PSP will record more accidents in 2024, but fewer deaths and serious injuries

Road accidents increased in the first five months of the year compared with the same period in 2023, but the number of deaths and serious injuries fell, the PSP said today.

The PSP said in a statement that between January 1 and May 31, there were 22,708 road traffic accidents, 234 more than during the same period in 2023.

These incidents resulted in 31 deaths, five fewer than last year, and 277 serious injuries, also five fewer than in 2023, he said.

On the other hand, the number of minor injuries increased from 6,646 to 6,737.

In terms of roadside checks, during the same period, the PSP carried out 10,485 operations from the north to the south of the country, checking 294,203 drivers.

A total of 80,419 administrative offenses were recorded, which is equivalent to an average of more than 16,000 violations per month.

Of these, 13,301 were for speeding, which corresponds to 16.5% of the total number of violations.

The police also conducted 86,474 alcohol tests, resulting in 1,451 administrative offenses for drunk driving.

During these actions, the traffic inspectorate PSP recorded 7,822 violations due to the lack of mandatory periodic technical inspection, 2,497 due to lack of civil liability insurance, 2,092 due to the use of a mobile phone while driving, 1,074 due to failure to use a seat belt and 446 due to lack of use of restraint systems (car seats).

“PSP encourages all drivers to drive safely by adapting their driving to weather and road conditions,” he insisted.

The police reminded that “irresponsible behavior on the road” endangers the lives of not only drivers, but also all road users.

“Only with responsible and safe driving by all road users will it be possible to reduce the accident rate,” he concluded.