(AFP File Photo/ Mahmud Hams)
Daily deaths and injuries caused by car accidents have risen in 2013 compared to 2012 figures, as have the number of accidents, said a government report released on Monday.
Half of the deaths occurred in the 15-29 age-group, the annual report by the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) said, with a death rate at “13.3 youth out of every 100,000 citizens.”
The total number of car accidents in 2013 was 15,578, rising by 0.4% from 2012’s figure of 15,516. The death rate per day has risen as well from 17.6 to 18.4, with injuries also rising from 59.2 to 61.4 per day. However deaths per 100,000 vehicles have fallen from 97.3 deceased to 95.2.
The CAPMAS report cited the “human element” as the biggest reason behind car accidents, causing over two thirds of all accidents, with the technical condition of cars as a secondary reason.
According to a World Health Organisation report in 2012, Egypt’s roads are the source of nearly 42 traffic deaths per 100,000 people annually, and the third most dangerous road system in the world. Earlier this month, 20 people were killed in just one day in three separate road accidents.
Train accidents in 2013 have seen a drastic rise of 74.7%, rising from 447 accidents in 2012 to 781. The report states shortcomings in conditions on Egypt’s railways, particularly at railway crossings, as a major reason behind these figures, with over 55% of all train accidents taking place at these crossings.
The biggest number of train accidents in a month occurred in June 2013, with 119 accidents, with October witnessing the least, with 32. The largest number of car accidents occurred in December 2013, with a total of 1,350 accidents and the lowest was in January, with a total of 1240.
A geographic breakdown shows that the largest % of car accidents took place in the governorate of Sharqeya, which saw 1,144 accidents, comprising 8.3% of all accidents. The New Valley governorate witnessed the least, with 1.1% of all accidents taking place there, equivalent to 157 accidents.
