Older males over-represented among 135 people killed in traffic accidents in 2016

carCar in traffic. Photo Norway Today Media.

135 people lost their lives on Norwegian roads in 2016. That’s 18 more than in 2015. 117 of the victims were men, and 18 women.

Eight were killed in December traffic this year, compared to ten last year, according to preliminary figures from the Public Roads Administration.

Most fatal accidents in 2016 have been in Rogaland (15), Buskerud (14) and Akershus (12), while Aust-Agder (2), Oslo (4) Telemark (4), Sogn og Fjordane (4) and Troms ( 4) had the fewest.

‘This is discouraging. Although the tendency over time is for roads to become safer, this is far more than numbers and statistics.

Behind every accident is a tragedy that affects families, friends, colleagues and communities’, said road director, Terje Moe Gustavsen.

‘A significant feature in 2016 has been an over-representation of older men driving too fast leading to accidents’, he said.

Every third person killed was a male, aged between 45 and 64. This is a significant increase by comparison to previous years. Sliding off the road accidents account for more than one in three fatalities, said the Road Director.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today