Fatal road accidents down by ten per cent in 2006

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According to preliminary figures released by Statistics Finland, a total of 330 people died in road accidents last year, while the figure for 2005 was around ten per cent higher, at 366.
      Owing to a positive trend in road safety at the beginning of last year, the total number of fatalities in road accidents was down to 14 in January, while the corresponding figure in 2005 had been as high as 50.
     
However, the trend then turned upward towards the end of the year, and according to the preliminary information, the number of fatalities in December was 32, which was 12 more than in 2005.
      During the second half of last year, the number of traffic deaths was 26 higher than in the period from July to December 2005.
      The number of the most drastic accidents decreased clearly during the first months of the year, while typically, the number of head-on collisions resulting in several fatalities was lower than in previous years.
      Furthermore, fatal accidents caused by slippery roads occurred less frequently than usual, while the number of fatal accidents involving vehicles driving off the road increased.
     
In the period from January to December 2006, a total of 6,683 traffic accidents occurred leading to injury or death. The figure is almost 300 lower than that for the previous year.
      The number of persons injured in car accidents was 8,520, which is 459 fewer than in 2005.
      The aim is to cut the number of fatalities in road accidents to 250 at the most by 2010.
      Even though the number of victims has declined clearly in recent years, the rate has not been fast enough.
     
The number of fatalities should have fallen by six to seven per cent or around twenty people per year since 2004. The total number of people killed in road accidents was 375 in 2004.
      The preliminary target of Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen's government also looks to be a tough challenge, declaring that the number of traffic deaths should not exceed 290 people in 2007.


See also:
  Youngest drivers cause one fifth of fatal accidents in Finland (25.1.2005)

Links:
  Statistics Finland

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