Traffic-related fatalities record 16.6% drop in 2018

AMMAN — A total of 571 people were killed in traffic accidents across the Kingdom in 2018, while there were 16,203 injuries reported to the police, according to the Public Security Department (PSD).

Fatalities associated with traffic accidents recorded a 16.6-per cent decline from 2017, when road accidents caused 685 deaths, according to the annual report for traffic accidents in Jordan for 2018, issued by the PSD and sent to The Jordan Times on Monday.

The report indicated that the cost of traffic accidents was estimated at JD313 million during the past year, while the total number of registered vehicles reached 1,637,981.

Out of 10,431 reported traffic accidents across the Kingdom during 2018, some 7 per cent have caused human casualties, according to the PSD report.

The PSD has recently applied a road safety strategy to mitigate traffic jams and reduce road fatalities in light of growth in the population and the number of vehicles, according to the report.

In comparison with 2017, injuries caused by road accidents declined by 0.3 per cent, while pedestrian run-over incidents declined by 3.2 per cent, the report showed.

Youths aged between 21-38 years constitute the highest percentage of casualties resulting from road accidents in the country, according to statistical data, which shows that youth comprise 45 per cent of traffic-related fatalities or injuries as well as 52 per cent of drivers involved in accidents.