122 people killed in road accidents across Turkey during public holiday

ISTANBUL – Doğan News Agency

AA photo

A total of 122 people were killed in road accidents across Turkey during the extended 10-day long public holiday, the Interior Ministry said on Sept. 5.

The Interior Ministry released a statement on traffic accidents across Turkey, stating that accidents across the country decreased 15 percent, despite the increase in the number of vehicles by 20 percent, according to last year’s data.

Some 1,073,086 vehicles were pulled over by traffic policemen and 170,895 of them have been fined throughout the whole public holiday, according to the statement.

A total of 28 police drones were also on duty in 24 different provinces across the country for 110 hours, the statement said.

Moreover, a total of 165 car accidents involving death occurred during Eid al-Adha as at least 450 people were wounded during the public holiday.

Many Turkish vacationers set out on their return journeys at the end of the holiday on Sept. 3, officially the third day of Eid al-Adha. 

The traffic volume across Turkey also continued to rise on the last day of the Eid al-Adha, Sept. 4.  
Very long queues occurred on the highways between the Aegean provinces of İzmir and Aydın, the Mediterranean province of Antalya and the Aegean province of Denizli, and connection roads to the capital Ankara and Istanbul.

Roads linking to Ankara and roads in the Aegean province of Manisa’s Turgutlu, Salihli and Kula districts grounded to a halt due to traffic density.

Traffic crews and gendarmerie forces were on duty to monitor the roads amid the heavy traffic load.        
Meanwhile, traffic crews who were on duty in the Ankara Police Department increased their checks on the final day of Eid al-Adha.

Police department helicopters monitored the main roads and entrances of the province from the air.
Some 6,635 traffic crews were on duty across Turkey during the Eid al-Adha public holiday, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency.

It also reported that 52,927 personnel from different departments also took part in providing traffic security as a precaution against road accidents.

A warning to vacationers was released on Sept. 3 by the police headquarters in the northwestern province of Bolu, urging people to hit the road before the end of the holiday.  

Deputy Police Commissioner Aydın Aksoy said that during the holiday they were carrying out intensive supervision to minimize driver-induced accidents.

The Eid al-Adha holiday was extended to 10 days in Turkey this year, coinciding with the Aug. 30 Victory Day national commemoration.