According to the Road Safety Authority, in the first three months of 2019, 81 people were killed in road accidents, compared to 86 in the same period last year. In addition, there was a decrease in the number of fatal road accidents that occurred in the first quarter of the year: 74 fatal road accidents, compared with 78 road accidents in the corresponding period last year.

A 21% decrease was recorded in the number of pedestrians killed in road accidents (22 killed compared to 28 in the same period last year). An 18 percent decrease was also recorded in road accidents on urban roads (31 deaths compared to 38 in the same period last year), while on interurban roads 50 people were killed, compared with 48 in the same period last year.

The decline in the number of accidents is particularly pronounced in the Jewish sector. Since the beginning of the year 46 people have been killed in road accidents, compared with 65 in the same period last year, a 29% drop; While in the Arab sector, 26 persons have been killed since the beginning of the year, compared with 19 in the same period last year. In addition, since the beginning of the year, three cyclists (identical to the same period last year) and 11 motorcycle riders have been killed in road accidents, compared to 8 in the same period last year.

The decrease in the number of fatalities in road accidents joins the continuous decline in the number of road traffic fatalities in the past two years. In 2018, there was a 13% decrease in the number of fatalities in road accidents, compared to 2017. In the past decade there has been a 30% decrease in the number of fatalities, compared to the previous decade. This is despite the fact that the travel in the last decade has increased by more than 30% compared to the same period.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)