Road deaths top 200 mark

With almost six months gone in the year, the number of persons killed on the nation’s roadways has surpassed the 200 mark.

The Road Safety Unit in the Ministry of Transport says up to yesterday, 201 persons have died in motor vehicle crashes since January 1.

This is 22 per cent higher than the corresponding period last year when 165 persons were killed in crashes, the latest figures from the Road Safety Unit have revealed.

A monthly breakdown show that 36 persons died on the roadways in January; 39 in February; 37 in March; 46 in April; 33 in May and 10 so far this month.

The figures revealed, too, that the increased fatalities cut across nearly all categories of road-users.

The data from the Road Safety Unit show that 13 children died in motor vehicles crashes over the six-month period, an increase of 86 per cent when compared with the similar period last year.

According to the figures, 35 elderly persons and 64 motorcyclists were also killed in crashes, increases of 52 per cent and 88 per cent respectively when compared with the corresponding period last year.

Fifty-seven per cent of the elderly persons killed in traffic crashes this year were pedestrians, the figures reveal.

A total of 389 persons were killed in motor vehicle crashes last year.

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