Motorists in Malta were more likely to get hurt on a Saturday and be involved in a road traffic accident on a Monday at the end of 2019.

According to national data for the fourth quarter of the year, the highest number of casualties was recorded on Saturdays at 67, while the highest number of road traffic accidents stood at 635 accidents on Mondays.

Most of the accidents – a fifth - took place between 9am and noon, followed closely by the noon to 3pm bracket.

The number of reported accidents between October and December of 2019 amounted to 3,841, an increase of 9.4% over the corresponding period in 2018. More than a third of accidents took place in the northern harbour district.

Out of a total of 382 injured people, 94 were motorcycle drivers and another 115 were car drivers.

Six route bus drivers and one passenger were also slightly injured.

There were six fatalities in all: a motorcycle, a car driver, and four pedestrians. 

One of the pedestrians was killed by a motorcycle, another one by a goods-carrying vehicle and two others were hit by passenger cars.

According to the National Statistics Office, seven cyclists were involved in accidents, three of whom suffered grievous injuries.

When classified by gender, the majority of the 72 grievously injured people were men, while most of the casualties were aged between 26 and 40.

Sixteen fatalities in 2019

In all, 2019 saw an increase of more than 1,000 road traffic accidents over 2018.

There were more than 14,375 accidents in 2018, increasing to more than 15,500 in 2019, with the northern harbour remaining the main hot spot. 

Of these, 1,352 accidents in 2018 and 1,356 accidents in 2019 involved injuries.

A total of 16 people died throughout 2019.

Birkirkara was the accident blackspot. Some 1,322 accidents took place there throughout the year, followed by 862 in the similarly busy roads of Qormi and 682 in Naxxar.