Road traffic accidents increased by 4% last quarter, with three fatalities recorded during this period, new data published by the National Statistics Office shows. 

The number of reported traffic accidents during the second quarter of 2024 reached 4,436, up by 4% when compared to the same period in 2023. 

Some 34.3% of all of these accidents happened in the North Harbour district. 

Conversely, traffic causalities decreased by 7.9% over the same period, with a total of 409 road traffic casualties recorded. 

Of these, 102 were grievously injured, with 64 being drivers, 8 passengers and 30 pedestrians or cyclists. 

The fatalities recorded involved two drivers and one pedestrian. There was one less fatality when compared to the same period in 2023. 

The fatalities included two drivers crashing into a property and a pedestrian being hit by a vehicle.

All of the fatalities registered were men, with the majority of those grievously injured (72.5%) also being male. 

Just under half (47.9%) of traffic casualties involved passenger cars, with 37.9% involving motorcycles and 8.1% with goods-carrying vehicles. 

A total of 12 cyclists were involved in traffic collisions, with four suffering grievous injuries, six slight injuries and two sustaining just insignificant injuries. 

The most common type of accident that resulted in a casualty was collisions between vehicles, which accounted for 65.5% of all road casualties. 

Birkirkara was the locality that saw the highest number of accidents, with 294 cases, followed by 222 in Qormi and 218 in St Paul’s Bay respectively. 

The villages of San Lawrenz, Għasri and Kerċem in Gozo each registered less than five road traffic accidents.