Injuries as a result of traffic collisions were up by 8.3 per cent in the last three months of last year when compared to the same period in 2016. 

A total of 3,450 traffic collisions were reported in the fourth quarter of last year, up by 1.4 per cent over the same period in 2016. 

Of the 405 injuries reported, 246 involved drivers. The vast majority of those - 206 - were only slightly injured, while 39 were grievously hurt. 

A further 36 people were grievously injured, with nine of those being passengers, 23 pedestrians and four cyclists. 

There were also 61 passengers, 52 pedestrians/others and 9 cyclists who were slightly injured, the NSO said. 

One driver and one pedestrian lost their lives in traffic incidents during the last three months of the year, the office added. 

High-risk days, times and places

The figures also reveal how most traffic collisions during the last four months of the year happened on Wednesdays (547), though crashes on Sundays were more likely to result in injury (17.9 per cent) than average (11.7 per cent).

Driving between 9am and noon was the most likely time to end up in a crash, with more than one in every five crashes happening during those hours. 

Birkirkara, with 329 cases, topped the list when crashes were sorted by locality, with Qormi and Mosta next with 188 and 146 respectively. 

41- to 59-year-olds were the age bracket who reported the most injuries as a result of traffic crashes.