Killed per day: jump in the number of fatal road accidents in 2021

Last year, there was a significant increase in the number of fatalities in accidents, which stood at 364, and a jump in fatal accidents by 17.5%.

The increase in data is not only in relation to 2020, when there was a decrease in accidents in the face of closures, but also in relation to 2019

Keenan Cohen

30/05/2022

Monday, 30 May 2022, 13:00 Updated: 13:06

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In the video: 3 killed in an accident on Road 90 in the Arava (according to section 27A on social networks)

A jump in the number of deaths in road accidents in 2021 - according to a report published today (Monday) by the Central Bureau of Statistics.

During this year, the number of fatalities in accidents was 364, compared with 305 fatalities in the previous year.

This is against the background of the closures and the restriction of traffic with the outbreak of the corona plague in 2020.

According to the data, during 2021 the percentage of fatal accidents jumped to 17.5%, to 16.3% in severe accidents and to 14.1% in minor accidents compared to 2020.

Compared to the routine 2019 in accident rates, the percentage jumped by 5.3% in fatal accidents and by 3.5% in serious accidents.

The share of men in road accidents continues to be dominant, with 74.6% of casualties in accidents being men.

In contrast, the share of women in accidents is significantly smaller than the percentage of women licensed to drive in Israel, which is 44.7%.

Among the Arab sector, road accidents continue to be a deadly cause of death.

While their share of the general population stands at 21.1%, they account for 28.8% of all road accident fatalities.

In a more in-depth analysis, despite this figure, the increase in deaths in the sector was relatively moderate and stood at 9% - 109 deaths compared to 100 in 2020 - while in the Jewish sector the increase was significantly higher - 27.7% - 221 deaths compared to 173 in 2020.

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The accident near Hurfish, September (Photo: Ihud Hatzalah, Eyal Marom, Maalot branch)

Another group of casualties that has been steadily climbing in recent years is the two-wheeler riders.

Despite a slight decline relative to 2020, with an engagement rate of 10.9% in 2021 compared to 11.5% in 2020, they still show a high injury rate at significant rates when taking into account their share of vehicle status and overall travel.

Beyond the vulnerability of these tools, among the other factors are poor driver training, inadequate infrastructure, road congestion, high protection equipment prices and limited tax benefits for vehicles with advanced safety systems.

The field of heavy vehicles, which has been neglected for years, also takes a toll on road accident victims.

The best illustration of this is the figure according to which trucks weighing 16 tons or more are only 0.8 percent of the condition of vehicles, but their involvement in fatal road accidents stands at 6.1%.

In the case of trucks under this weight, their share in the train situation is 4.9% but their involvement stands at 4.1% in accidents with casualties and 5.1% in fatal accidents.

Another group of road users that recorded an increase in casualties in 2021 is cyclists and electric scooters.

According to the data, 1,643 people were involved in accidents reported to the police last year - an increase of 14.8%.

In unreported cases, 644 casualties came to hospitals for treatment - an increase of 21.3%.

A total of 953 passengers were affected by these vessels in 2021, an increase of 37.3%.

In addition, an additional 382 injured were hospitalized as a result of electric scooter accidents and were not reported to the police as accidents - this is an increase of 46.4%.

The number of casualties continues to climb.

Scooter and motorcycle rider in Tel Aviv (Photo: Keinan Cohen, Reuven Sabiu)

These numbers, unfortunately, are not a surprise, but a continuation of a trend of several years in which the number of casualties is increasing.

The situation is much more serious when an analysis of the affected population groups produces a very clear insight into the risk groups that require targeted treatment, but the body entrusted with this area - the Ministry of Transport is far from providing the answer and the number of victims continues to climb.

New driver training programs have not been changed, pilot change of driving instruction for motorcyclists is delayed in the transition to a regular program, as well as the establishment of a life-saving infrastructure system in case of accidents, abolition of protective equipment, infrastructure and enforcement in the Arab sector remains neglected, "news" Not noticeable in the field and the list is still long.

Dilution of authority, budget and weight given by the Ministry of Transport to the road safety trust body - The National Road Safety Authority for years is just one side of the story.

The entry of the chairman and founder of "Green Light" - Avi Naor - into the position of chairman of the RALBD indicates a change in trend, but without comprehensive budgeting and the involvement of the Ministries of Transport, Finance and Internal Security, the chances of seeing change in the near future are unexpected.

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