Traffic accidents were up by 6.3 per cent in the first three months of this year compared to the first quarter of last year, new data from the National Statistic Office has confirmed.
Casualties on the roads amounted to 367, marking a 13.3% increase when compared to the same time frame in 2022.
However the number of fatalities between January and March was down, at four, which was five fewer than in Q1 2022.
The NSO said that 3,822 accidents were reported in the first three months of the year, with the highest number, 35.8% being registered in the Northern Harbour District.
Casualties on the road amounted to 367.
96 of them - 52 drivers, eight passengers and 36 pedestrians or cyclists - sustained grievous injuries.
The majority (77.1%) of those grievously injured were men. 39.8% were in the 26 to 40 age bracket.
The majority (53.1%) of casualties involved passenger cars, followed by motorcycles at 34.6% and goods-carrying vehicles at 6.5%.
Eight cyclists were involved in traffic casualties, with six suffering slight injuries and two suffering from grievous injuries.
Casualties resulting from collisions between two vehicles were the most common at 64.3%.
Thursday was the worst day for traffic accidents
The day most likely to see a traffic accident was Thursday, with 65 casualties and 16.2% of road accidents happening on a Thursday. The hours between 9 am and 11.59 am were also the most likely period in which you were likely to get into an accident, with 844 cases reported, while the least number of accidents were recorded between 3 am and 5.59 am.
Birkirkara recorded the highest number of traffic accidents with 271 cases, followed by Qormi at 220 and Mosta with 183 cases.
The Gozitan villages of Għarb, Qala, Għasri, Kerċem, San Lawrenz and Fontana as well as Xgħajra in Malta were the least likely to see traffic collisions, with less than five accidents reported in those localities.
The fatalities
In January of this year, 30-year-old Pelin Kaya died after she was hit by a car and physically assaulted by driver Jeremie Camilleri. The driver has been charged with Kaya’s murder, with police testifying that he was drunk and high on cocaine at the time of the incident.
74-year-old Pawlu D’Amato died after he was hit by a Kia Sorrento on the Marsa-Ħamrun bypass. Residents have since raised concerns about a pedestrian crossing in the area being removed and with the alternative 7-minute route to cross the busy road inconveniencing the elderly residents of the area.
On February 6 classic car enthusiast Oliver Agius, who was 90 years old, was killed in St Paul’s Bay after being hit by a Peugeot 208.
A midnight collision also took the life of 54-year-old Twanny Marmara in February. He died after being hit by a car in Rabat.
Last year was the deadliest in terms of traffic fatalities, with 26 people killed in road incidents, the highest number of fatalities on record. The rate of traffic fatalities in Malta increased by almost 10 times more than any other country in the EU.